The Company of the Worthless
by Caike
Summary: After Jiraiya's death, Naruto and Hinata's friendship blossoms, leaving both of them happy... that is, until a terrible incident shatters Hinata's life. What can Naruto do? Lemon. Not abandoned, just my computer broke! Continue to read and review, please!
1. Ruined, Resolute

So, for those who read my Ichigo/Orihime fic, _One Lonely Saturday_, this is the Naruto/Hinata fic I promised you. For those who haven't read OLS and enjoy the couple of Ichigo and Orihime, I encourage you to check it out.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

"Well done," Tsunade congratulated, "Teams Kakashi and Kurenai, due to your success in the mission to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke before he murdered Uchiha Itachi, I grant you each enough vacation time to forget all about this ugliness." Most everyone smiled at this, but Naruto noted she seemed to be a bit… nervous. In intervals of a few seconds, she would glance out her window, craning her neck in hopes of some unknown visitor's arrival, and then promptly swiveling her head back towards the eight shinobi, a sigh escaping her lips.

"Are… are you alright, Tsunade-baachan?" Naruto asked.

"Hm?" brow raised, she waved him off. "No, no, I'm fine. You've got your best friend back, right? You go out and –"

But suddenly, an ANBU soldier slid his way through the open window and knelt down. "Hokage-sama," he said, speaking rapidly, "I have an urgent message to deliver."

"From whom?" she asked.

"From… one of the elder toads of Mount Myoboku," the ANBU answered. This resonated only with Tsunade and Naruto, who knew that that particular mountain had been the source of all Jiraiya's training with his frogs.

"Deliver your message," Tsunade ordered, her tone much more timid than before.

"Yes ma'am." Retrieving a small piece of paper from his pocket, he cleared his throat and began. "An undetermined amount of time prior to the delivery of this message, Jiraiya-sama was met in combat with the leader of Akatsuki, a man known to the world only as Pain. After some analysis, Jiraiya-sama sent the information directly to here in hopes that we would receive it and destroy Pain and Akatsuki. After doing so, however…" the ANBU's voice diminished, "Jiraiya-sama was brutally murdered by Pain."

Naruto's heart stopped. Ero-sennin? Dead? It didn't seem possible and as such, Naruto's first instinct, thankfully not selected, was to laugh. Naruto had always taken his existence as a constant, as one of the few stable things in his life. He was one of the Sannin. He was incredibly strong; strong enough to take a full-on blast from Naruto's own four-tailed transformation and live. He'd acted like Naruto's crazy, drunken, sex-obsessed father for three years, but he was still a damned father.

"Understood," Tsunade replied quietly a short while later. "You may leave." With a nod, the ANBU was off, leaving no evidence of his arrival but for one small slip of paper on the desk.

"That's it?" Naruto wondered aloud after the black ops member was gone. "You say, 'Undestood,' and that's it? You just let Ero-sennin's death just wash over you? Tell me, do you have a heart of fucking _stone_?"

"Naruto!" Sakura chastised, "You musn't speak to Tsunade-sama lik-"

"Shut up, Sakura-chan!" Naruto roared, Sakura awed in fear, "I'll talk to this hag the way I want! So tell me, _hag_, do you have any idea what he thought of you?"

"Naruto," Tsunade piped up, nearly at a whisper, "It is not the issue of the Hokage-"

"He _loved_ you, you know that?" Naruto bellowed in fury, "He utterly fucking _loved_ you! He told me, so many nights, that no woman he'd met was as beautiful as you, o-or as enchanting, or whatever the hell you want! And you know something else? He was a great guy, and you just had to keep turning him down because you're too stuck-up to see past you own nose!"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata muttered, saddened by Naruto's words.

"Shut up…" Tsunade murmured, her back to Naruto.

"Don't tell me to shut up! You know it as well as I do, that he-"

"I said shut_ up!"_ she cried, and whipped around to face both teams, revealing the tears cascading down her reddened cheeks. "You're right. You're absolutely right. I… I shouldn't have turned down his advances, I shouldn't have had my own pride… he was… he was wonderful, and I didn't get to tell him. I'm a failure…" she fell to her knees with a thud, the rivers of tears flowing even more forcefully. "I couldn't save him. I'm a failure as a ninja, a failure as a woman, and a failure as Hokage… I should have been the one to die, not him… oh, God, not him…"

Her sobs echoed around the room as Shizune and Sakura knelt beside her. Naruto sighed and started towards the exit. "Just… make sure you give him a damned good funeral, okay?" he said, and, not even checking that she had nodded, left the building. A few seconds later, Hinata hurried after him.

His destination hadn't been planned, yet his legs had taken him to the only place he would have thought: The old training ground, the place where he first became a true shinobi. With a sigh, he plopped himself down at the trunk of a tree, closing his eyes and breathing deep the scent of the land: the woods, the grass, the dirt… the glorious flowers? Lids flipping open, he noticed Hinata standing over him, concerned.

"Hinata?" he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I-I… I thought you didn't s-seem to b-be okay… I just wanted to check up on you," she replied, forcing at once with all her might to not blush and to not faint.

"Oh," he said plainly. Patting the earth next to him, he said, "Come. Sit with me."

Hinata was grateful for this for two reasons: One, she really did love Naruto's company and to sit next to him would be a dream, and two, she felt her legs were going to give out any moment. "Are… are you s-sure?"

"Yeah, I could use the company right about now."

Slowly, she set herself beside him, both exhilarated and frightened by their proximity. "… Jiraiya-sama was a great man," she said eventually despite the fear in her heart that her words would backfire.

Naruto grinned in nostalgia. "He was a stupid, drunken, perverted oaf. But he… he was always a good person, always honorable. He always wanted what was best for the village, the country, or even the world." Naruto's expression plummeted to a sorrowful scowl. "So much so that he sacrificed his life for us… for me. I'm gonna miss him."

"I'm sorry," Hinata whispered, "But if you… if you n-need anything, I… I'm here for you." She turned away to hide her enormous blush, certain that he'd laugh or yell at her.

Instead, he reached a hand out and grasped her shoulder, sending a burst of electricity through her mind. "Thank you, Hinata," he said tenderly. "I know… Sakura-chan will be busy with Tsunade-baachan and Sasuke… I thought I would be alone. But if you're here, I think it'll be better." Hinata could scarcely breathe at these words. "You're a good friend, Hinata, and a fine person."

"Thank you," she breathed, and, though it felt like snapping her own neck, turned back and smiled at him.

"Well," he said, standing and patting the dust off himself, "What do you say we go have some ramen, eh? My treat."

"N-Naruto-kun, I think that would be… I would… I would like that!" she finally managed to squeak out.

His toothy (and goofy) smile restored, he extended his palm to her. She was briefly stunned, paralyzed by the opportunity to even brush her beloved's hand, but, gaining newfound confidence, grasped his arm, letting herself be pulled up. "Great," he said, starting to lead them to Ichiraku, "Then let's get going."

Before they could take another step, however, another ANBU soldier leapt in front of Naruto. "Uzumaki Naruto," he said promptly, "I have been assigned to deliver these to you." Displaying what appeared to be a paper handbag, he continued, "These were the items that Jiraiya-sama intended to bequeath you in the event of his death." Before Naruto could ask what they were, the masked soldier was off in a puff of smoke.

"What… what is it?" Hinata asked, peering into the bag. She easily could have used her Byakugan, but didn't want to intrude.

"I'm not sure…" Tentatively, Naruto opened the bag slowly. A part of his mind feared that he would find porn in this bag and Naruto really didn't want to have his inheritance be that in front of Hinata.

However, inside were not pornographic books, but instead, a small book and a few messages on separate slips of paper. "An Icha-Icha book?" Naruto muttered under his breath, "I've read all of them… this doesn't seem to be a new one." Checking the publishing date, he discovered the book was released a few months before Naruto was born.

The title caught his widening eye: "The Tale of the Gallant Naruto."

Hinata had noticed it too. "What does this mean, Naruto-kun?" she asked quietly.

"I don't have a clue…" Naruto was shocked. His name wasn't very common; he knew that… there was a note scribbled under the title inside the book:

"To Minato and Kushina – Hope the baby's coming along well, and I hope you enjoy this novel, even though most didn't… Well, have a good time, anyway. Sincerely, Jiraiya-sensei."

Minato? Kushina? Naruto didn't know these people at all… but why did he refer to himself as Jiraiya-sensei? And why was the main character named Naruto, for that matter? Excited, he moved on to the notes. The first one said,

"Jiraiya-sensei – I don't know why your book wasn't liked! I loved it, personally. It was a great read, something to pass along the time while I make all these heavy decisions for the village… and I really liked that main character… come on over and we'll talk about it. Kushina and I have something important to ask of you. Ever your faithful student, Namikaze Minato."

Namikaze. A last name. One of Jiraiya's students, he was in a position of power. If only he knew more about this Kushina person, Naruto thought, it would definitely make more sense. Hinata had read the note as well and watched as Naruto, so tense his hands were vibrating, snatched the second note, written in a nicer, curvier handwriting than the last two messages. It read,

"Jiraiya-sama – I'm glad you accepted the responsibility, as the one who named him. Really, as Minato said, I can't think of a better person for the position. Thank you so much. Grateful, Uzumaki Kushina."

Naruto felt his brain explode. He mouthed, "Uzumaki," unaware of the look of shock Hinata wore. As though a system of stopped cogs were suddenly forced roughly into function, the pieces clicked in Naruto's head.

Jiraiya had been the teacher of the Fourth Hokage, the strongest ninja to ever live. His name was Namikaze Minato. He had a wife, or at least a lover, with whom he was having a baby, and her name was Uzumaki Kushina. Jiraiya had written a book before writing the popular Icha-Icha series, a book with a main character named Naruto. Minato had loved the main character, loved him enough to want his son to be like him and thus… thus… he had Jiraiya christen him as Naruto. As the giver of his name… this made Jiraiya…

"Oh my God," said Hinata, having reached the conclusion long before Naruto had.

"He was my godfather," said Naruto, eyes blank. The second major blast of information hit him immediately after. "I… Oh my _God,_ I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage! Namikaze Minato was my father, and, and… Uzumaki Kushina was my mother!" The myriad of implications of this epiphany raced in his head at extreme speeds, paining his brain. "There's gotta be something else," he panted, rummaging in the bag for something, anything that would bring these thoughts to a point. His fingers managed to clutch one last slip, his last hope for this chaos that had been wrought upon his life. Barely able to concentrate, he scanned the paper:

"Naruto – If you are reading this, then I'm dead and you've just received the two notes and my first book ever. Ahh, knowing you, you won't be too sad, right? I hope not, anyway. Well, in any case, what I've given you is information on your father, Namikaze Minato, or as you may better know him, the Fourth Hokage. He was a fine man; popular, strong, kind, it's no wonder why old man Sarutobi chose him over Orochimaru for the title of Hokage. You also may have guessed that Uzumaki Kushina, his wife, is your mother. From the former Whirlpool Country, she was one of the most beautiful shinobi in the land… she was like you, in terms of personality and jutsu, and she loved Minato very, very much. He felt the same. I've left a picture of them between pages two twenty-seven and two twenty-eight."

He hadn't finished reading the sentence for a second before he re-clamped his hand around the book and opened it as gently as he could with his shaking hands. "Two twenty-seven," he muttered, flipping the pages. Finally, he reached the desired page and found a slightly faded photograph with a man he recognized from the Hokages' Faces standing with his arm around a gorgeous, brightly red-haired woman. Both wore bright smiles and, from their attire, Naruto guessed that this was on their wedding day. "Mom… dad…" he muttered, and he quickly returned to Jiraiya's note.

"I'm sorry I or anyone else didn't tell you… but the power of the Nine-tailed Fox, while it gives you an incredible boost to your already wonderful potential, it makes it hell for you to improve and you don't need anyone expecting you to live up to the Fourth's reputation. I tried to do my best to watch over you, to be the best godfather I could be, but that's just another failure on my life, I guess. I know you'll end up as the strongest Hokage in history, even stronger than your father, just never give up, not even if the whole world is against you. Well, I guess this is goodbye, Naruto. Have a good life. – Ero Sennin."

Naruto's hands had turned ghostly white. They had stopped shaking, instead clutching the paper with stone fingers. Jiraiya's words swam in his head in a dizzying effect. He could feel the tears falling. He turned to Hinata, picture in hand. "Hinata," he whimpered, "These are my parents."

"Naruto-kun…"

"I've always thought I've been alone for my entire life…" Naruto said, trembling, "but I wasn't, for however briefly."

"If it's worth anything," Hinata said, bravely resting a hand on his wrist, "Y-you've always had… m-me." She handed him a handkerchief from under her jacket. "Here."

Surprised by her words, he took the cloth and dabbed his eyes. "Thanks. You know something, Hinata?" He returned the cloth. "You're great. Really, really great. Now come on," he said, taking her hand and once again unknowingly zapping her with what felt to her like a thousand volts, "Let's go eat… to the memory of my mother, my father, and Jiraiya."

"O… okay!" she agreed, and left with him to eat some ramen, completely dazed from the compliment he'd just paid her.

-------------------------------

It had a year since that day, Hinata recalled, the day that ignited the closeness of her and Naruto's relationship. As Naruto had predicted, Sakura had spent most of her time either rebuilding her relationship with Sasuke or serving Tsunade in the hospital. As a result, Naruto ended up spending more and more time with Hinata, and the two had come to know each other extremely well. Hinata, of course, was ecstatic because of this. She'd managed to keep her fainting to a minimum, to quell her blushes, and even completely erase her stutter. She felt comfortable around him, more so than she did around anyone else.

She had been picking flowers in the woods, which happened to be near their old woods, as they now called the meeting place in which Naruto had discovered his heritage, when she had strolled down memory lane. Naruto had dealt with the knowledge of his lineage quite well, thanks in part, Hinata hoped, to her efforts. He hadn't changed at all due to this discovery and hadn't told anyone aside from Hinata. Instead, he merely took pride in the identity of his father and mother, researching the Fourth and finding out as much as he could about Kushina. It felt to him there was finally some validation to his life.

Hinata sniffed the flowers she held in her basket, fondly remembering when Naruto had told her she had the scent of beautiful flowers, giving Hinata a blush so forceful that steam rose from it. The flowers she'd collected now gave off a beautiful fragrance, so fresh with life. This, combined with her memories and the absolutely glorious day it was outside, placed a great smile upon her face.

She recalled when Naruto had discussed the relationship between Jiraiya and Tsunade, how both had felt something for each other but had never really admitted it. Sure, Jiraiya had asked Tsunade out on various occasions, but he went and slept with woman after woman, so it didn't seem like he really wanted her. She, rejecting him all those times, had portrayed the same image. "I just don't understand it," Naruto had said over a bowl of Ramen, "How can two people, or even one person feel that way and not say anything? It's like those two were just lying to each other…"

Hinata's face fell. If he found out she loved him, would he be angry? Would he consider it lying too? Resolute, she told the sky, "Then I'll do it," and raised a clenched fist. "I'll ask him out today." Her smile had returned, and she hummed a simple but hopeful tune as she searched for more flowers.

Suddenly, as if to spite her, clouds rolled onto the sky and immediately, pounding rain careened toward the earth. Sighing, Hinata muttered, "_Byakugan!" _and began searching for a nearby cave. Locating her objective, she quickly hurried into it, leaning against the wall of the entrance, disappointed at the weather. It had been such a good day, too… Well, at least she had her flowers. She'd surely show them to Naruto later, and he would enjoy them with her.

Before she could sit down, she felt a needle in her neck, and the pressure of something rushing from it into her. She tried to remove the offending needle, but her arms and legs were numb, leaving her barely able to stand as she dropped her basket, the flowers spilling out. Her Byakugan wouldn't activate. She felt like she was suffocating, completely bound by invisible ropes.

Things started to go dark as she heard a creepy, rumbling voice whisper directly into her ear, "My, my… sweet little Hyuga Hinata, wandering all alone in the rain… and picking flowers? How sweet." She felt his hand creep up her chest, pausing to squeeze her breast, and then stopping at her jacket's zipper. She wanted to scream, but her voice would not sound, and as such, tears flowed from her pupil-less eyes, the feeling of being violated ripping through her. Having undone her zipper, he moved to her pants, agonizingly slowly pulling down the waist.

Hinata tried to scream again, but once more found it futile. "Don't worry, my little flower-girl," he whispered languidly into her ear, "You'll find that soon, you won't feel anything at all."

"_Naruto-kun,"_ she thought instinctively, "_Help…"_ her last sight was that of her flowers, trampled on the ground, ruined by the unknown attacker.

-----------------

"Alright, what the hell is going on?" Naruto roared, meeting Sakura, Shizune and Tsunade in the hospital corridor. "I got a note saying Hinata's in trouble. Why?"

The three women looked from to each other and finally, Sakura nodded. Reaching a hand to Naruto's shoulder, she said, "I don't know how to tell you this, exactly… but it seems Hinata has been…" she strained to get out the last word, "… raped."

The sentence didn't click with him. "… What?" he asked blankly.

"A chuunin scouting a training ground found her inside a cave this afternoon… it appeared she'd been there for quite some time. She was unconscious and her clothes were torn to the point of indecency. He brought her in, and when we examined her, we found she had a great deal of damage around her pelvis. Her wrists were completely stained with rope burn, and she was covered with…" Sakura tried to determine a way to put this gently, "Her fluids."

"… How is she now?" Naruto asked, eyes widened by this horrifying tale.

"She's still asleep; the guy had apparently given her a strong muscle relaxant and sedative. We would try to counteract it, but it's non-lethal, there seem to be no further effects, and we fear any treatment may aggravate her condition."

Naruto was furious: He felt his claws and fangs grow, his whisker marks thicken, and his eyes inflame with rage. "Where… is the guy?" he asked through forcibly steady breathing.

Sakura's expression worsened. "We… haven't found him," she told him regretfully.

"What?!" Naruto raged, grinding his teeth at Sakura.

"We had Kiba analyze his scent, but it was difficult to separate from Hinata's. After that was done, he transmitted it to Kakashi-sensei and he scent the Ninken out to find him. They haven't yet come back."

"Where is she?"

"She's in this room," Sakura answered, pointing to the one next to them, "But I don't think it's a good idea for you to-"

"Get _out_ of my way!" he bellowed and forced his way into the room. His fox traits vanished instantly as his anger faded, replaced by incredible sorrow. "Hinata…" he groaned, approaching her. She was pale, paler than usual, a complete, though faded, white.

"I'm sorry," said Tsunade, patting his shoulder gently. "There… there was nothing you could do."

"I could have… I could have protected her," he moaned feebly.

"No, Naruto," she said gently, "Despite your kagebunshin, you can't be everywhere at once."

He wasn't convinced, and pulled a chair to sit by Hinata's unconscious form. "Hinata," he whispered, grasping her frigid hand, "I'm here for you."

Weakly, she moaned in her sleep, "Naruto-kun…"

Watching his surprise, Shizune informed, "She's been moaning your name every so often…"

"She must think I'm a failure too," he replied, to Shizune's disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," said Sakura, "But visiting hours are over. You can come back tomorrow."

"Fine," he said, and, with a heaving sigh, lifted himself from the chair. Giving one last mournful glance at the girl on the bed, he dejectedly let himself be escorted out by Sakura.

"Naruto," she said gently as they walked out of the hospital, "You really have to understand that this _isn't_ your fault! Bad things… they just happen, you know? It's tragic, but we can't always stop them."

Naruto really didn't feel like debating this with her, so merely gave the reply, "I know. Thanks." Seeing a bit of relief cross her features, he added, "Listen, I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm gonna be able to make dinner tonight with Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke. Let them know for me, will you?"

"I understand," she responded softly. She gave him an encouraging smile before saying, "She'll be okay, Naruto. I'll see you later," and walked back towards the hospital.

He waved to her before beginning the stroll back to his apartment. "Oh, Hinata…" he breathed, removing his forehead protector and rubbing his temples. What a world this was… it was an absolute atrocity for such a thing to happen to anyone, but Hinata? She was special. She was innocent, pure… Naruto was certain she didn't have a malicious thought in her mind.

Without even thinking, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the only other picture besides his team's that he carried. It was of him and Hinata, on one of the numerous days they'd spent together in the past year. That day, after a hearty lunch, they'd found an excitable little man on the street taking and selling photographs of people who said he couldn't resist taking a picture of the two of them. And so, arm in arm, dopey smiles on both, Hinata and Naruto posed for the camera, purchasing the picture at a small fee.

His heart swelled and ached with the photo. They had been so happy that day, the two friends. And what had become of her? Some sick bastard's undeserving prey? Naruto couldn't wait for Kakashi's hounds to find the son of a bitch so that Naruto could rip him apart, piece-by-piece, until he felt ten times the despair he'd caused Hinata.

Finally, Naruto had reached his apartment. Turning the key inside the lock, he swiftly entered and collapsed on his bed. Hours passed as he tossed and turned, reviewing every part of the day, praying for sleep to come so that he could visit her once again the next day…

He kept his promise, meeting Shizune outside Hinata's room the next day. "Hey, can I go in?" he asked, heading for the entrance.

"Yes, Naruto-kun…" Shizune answered, opening the door, "She woke up hours ago, but… she's refused to eat anything."

The two entered the room to find a nurse attempting to feed Hinata what appeared to be a fruity mush with a spoon. "Please, Hinata-san… you have to eat!" Hinata refused, shaking her head slowly.

The nurse stood and walked to Naruto and Shizune, "I can't seem to make her eat," she whispered, "We'll have to feed her through an IV."

"Give me the food," said Naruto, softly but sternly. Taking the bowl in hand, he added, "Now step aside," and slowly made his way toward Hinata's bed.

Hearing footsteps, Hinata looked towards the source and upon recognizing it, her eyelids shot open. "Na…ruto…kun?" she croaked, her voice weak.

"Hey, Hinata," he replied gently. "It's good to see you."

"Don't… look at me," she muttered, turning back away from him.

"What? But Hinata, I-"

"_Don't look at me!"_ she shrieked and buried her face in her pillow, sobbing.

Exhaling, he once again took his seat beside her and muttered, "Okay. If you want, I won't look at you." She uncovered her tearstained face, and he held out a spoonful of mush. "I need you to eat this." Shifting a bit, she did not look him in the eye, but allowed her face to be seen. "I…" he said, emphasizing the word, "need _you_… to eat this." She hesitated for but a moment before opening her mouth ever so slightly. "There we go," he muttered, lifting the spoon to her mouth, allowing her to swish the mush around for a bit before she swallowed it.

The nurse stood in awe next to Shizune. "I… I can't… how did he do it? I've been trying to get her to eat all morning!"

Shizune had too been stymied initially, but now understood. "Of course… We've been saying, 'You must eat, you have to eat or else,' but… that isn't what she needs. She can't handle being coerced like that… Instead, Naruto-kun told her that she's needed… that she has worth, even if it's something that small."

"But how…?" the nurse asked, "How could he have known that, how could he have understood her?"

"It's because he knows, knows that pain," answered Shizune, "The pain of being alone."

"Hiashi, you can't just barge in there!" came Tsunade's voice suddenly from the hall, alarming the occupants of the room.

"I'll do what I want, Hokage-sama, this is my _daughter_!" Hiashi roared back, barging into the room with Neji and a few other Hyuuga guardsmen, Tsunade trailing behind.

"F… Father," she breathed as he scrutinized her, bearing a scowl.

He turned away and Hinata felt her throat start to close. "I see," he said to Tsunade, "So it is true. She has let herself be ruined." Hinata felt her blood solidify.

A vein throbbed in Tsunade's forehead. "What do you mean, '_let herself be ruined'_? How could you say that about your own daughter?"

"Daughter?" Hiashi asked coldly, brow raised, "I have no daughter."

Aside from their barely visible appearance, the clear liquid on Hinata's face gave no evidence for its existence aside from the escaping her lips, audible only by Naruto.

"Hiashi-sama," Neji started, "How could you? Hinata-sama is-"

"Silence, Neji!" Hiashi shouted, wielding the handseal for Neji's cursed one in a threatening manner. "Remember your place, lest you suffer the consequences!"

Neji, fists balled and teeth gritted, grumbled, "Yessir."

"Hiashi, I don't know _what_ the hell you're playing at," Tsunade yelled, "but Hinata does _not_ deserve being disowned!"

"Hokage-sama, you have no place in the affairs of the noble clans," Hiashi responded cruelly. "As the head of the clan, what I decide to do with that failure is of my concern alone."

Naruto shot up, enraged. "You son of a _bitch!"_ he roared, meeting Hiashi face to face, snatching his collar. "You're the sickest, most coldhearted asshole I've ever met, and I've met quite a lot! Hinata is a wonderful person, and I don't care what clan you lead, I don't even care if you're the king of the goddamned _world!_ You don't have the right to take away her freedom!"

"Hmm," said Hiashi impassively, "You must not want that hand, brat."

Baring his fangs at Hiashi, Naruto growled, "God _damn_ you-" but stopped as he felt Tsunade taking hold of his arm.

She looked sadly into his eyes. "Stop. You'll only make things worse." Naruto, calmed by her tone, released Hiashi's collar.

"Good move, Hokage-sama," Hiashi said, turning to leave, "If you hadn't intervened, I wouldn't have been responsible for the Kyuubi brat's fate." With that, Hiashi and the rest of the Hyuuga left, Neji giving a regretful parting look towards Hinata.

"We'll do everything in our power for Hinata," Tsunade told the anguished Naruto. "We'll keep her here in the hospital until she's recovered."

"No," said Naruto with a shake of his head, "I'll take her. She'll stay at my place."

"Naruto-kun, I must strongly advise against this-" Shizune began.

"I'll allow it," Tsunade cut through, "I believe you can take good care of her."

"Thanks, baachan," he said, and moved for the door. "When you can release her?"

"Today," said Tsunade, "I've had Sakura and Shizune – my best people – heal her, so she's okay, as far as her wounds are concerned. As for her mental health… for whatever reason," Tsunade did not want to give away Hinata's obvious feelings for Naruto, "She feels she a strong connection with you and you alone. You're all she has, Naruto. Don't screw this up."

"I won't," he said, turning the knob of the door and exiting. "I'll meet her at the front door."

A few hours later, Hinata, clad in her washed and repaired clothing, emerged from the hospital with Sakura at her side. "Here she is, Naruto," Sakura said, leading Hinata to him. "Make sure she drinks a lot of liquid, gets plenty of rest… and please… take good care of her, okay?"

"I don't go back on my way, remember?" he said, with the best grin he could muster under the circumstances. "Alright… come on, Hinata," he held out his hand toward her, "Let's go." She did not accept his hand, nor did she look at him; her head remained sculpted to face the ground. A sting at his heart, he retracted his hand. "Alright. Then… let's go. We'll see you around, Sakura-chan."

"See you," Sakura replied and watched as Naruto and Hinata walked off.

As they walked, Naruto noticed Hinata's posture: in addition to her neck craned down, she was completely slumped over, her hands fastened together, which in turn caused her shoulders to be completely hunched together; even her knees kept bumping from her pigeon-toed stance.

"_She's automatically shut her body up, so that the world can't get to her… God, I have to do everything I can to help her!" _Naruto thought, his confidence renewed. _"She's the only person who's ever accepted me as I am! I've never had to prove anything to her… she gave me my confidence back when I fought Neji, she helped me bring Sasuke back... She's always understood me. I owe it to her to help her through this, no matter what it takes!"_

As Naruto flicked on the lights to his apartment he looked around. "Well, here it is… It's not much, but I hope you'll be okay with it." He took her a few steps around the small apartment, reaching the bed. "Here's where you'll be sleeping… I'll take the couch." Leaning over the mattress, he fluffed up the pillow and pulled back the blanket. "There. All set."

Taking the hint, Hinata laid herself down seemingly without acknowledging Naruto's existence or actions. As soon as she had settled in, facing the wall, Naruto tucked her in and pulled down the shades, allowing her some rest.

Naruto sat by her side for a good while until he heard her steady breath indicating she was sleeping. Exhaling in relief, he stood and began his quest of systematically removing any and all objects in his possession sharp enough to break the skin. As a shinobi of his caliber, this included all knives, shuriken, and even weapon-summoning scrolls, forcing him to continue this task until the late hours of the night. Finally, after he'd collected the last kunai, he heard a knocking at the door. Answering it, Sakura appeared in his doorway. "Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?" he asked, puzzled.

She held a few large bags, each containing various items: "I'm here to give you these," she said, placing the bags inside. "Two contain some clothing for her… I figured she'd need it if she stays here long enough. Sorry if they don't fit perfectly, I tried to guess her size. This one contains ingredients for food, actual food," she said, pointing at a bag filled with several boxes and cartons, "not your perpetually eaten ramen. And last, but not least, I thought I should give you these…" Sakura revealed two wrist bracelets from her pocket. They bore the leaf symbol. "They're chakra-restricting bands. Hinata is a master of the Juuken, to the point where she can sharpen the chakra enough to slice through many sturdy objects. These won't reduce her chakra to a non-functional level, but they will prevent her from refining it to cutting power. In her condition, she might…"

"I know," said Naruto, accepting the bracelets. "Do you happen to have another pair?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah," said Sakura, confused. "I thought in case they break or something, I'd give them to you, but…"

"Can I have them now?"

"Sure, but why?" she asked, handing out the extra pair.

"I have something planned," he said, stowing them in his jacket.

"Well, alright. Just try not to screw up the cooking too much, okay?" she smirked.

"Yeah, yeah," he waved her off, grinning. "I think I can get good at it pretty quickly."

They exchanged farewells and Sakura was off, leaving Naruto with her gifts. The first thing planned, he headed back to Hinata. Lifting her wrists with absolute meticulous precision, he slipped the bands over them, and then proceeded to place the extra pair on his own. His chakra slightly disturbed, Naruto figured he would simply have to get used to that feeling. Next, he carefully laid out a nice outfit for Hinata to wear when she woke up hanging on his dresser and scribbled a short next to it. That done, he picked up one of the packages of food Sakura had left him (pancake mix, incidentally) and muttered, fingers in a cross, "_Kagebunshin no Jutsu."_ Leaving a few to watch over Hinata, Naruto, cramped, sidled out of his apartment, leaving the original pancake box carefully on his dinner table.

For the next several hours, Naruto practiced preparing the food, over and over, gaining exponential experience, until he felt sufficiently skilled at this feat. And so, dispersing his doppelgangers and feeling the now-familiar rush of mental fatigue, he returned yet again to Hinata's side, praying with all his might that her condition would improve when the sun came 'round.

Hinata, meanwhile, suffered as she slept, her subconscious preying on her weakened heart. The hands, those terrible hands! They were everywhere, all over her body, invading every crevice and surface. She was helpless against them, and from every angle came her father's booming voice: _"You let yourself be ruined."_ She was being strangled, suffocating from the pain in her heart and her body. There was no hope, no hope at all…

She awoke, gasping and panting, instinctively covering herself with a blanket. The odd sensation of not knowing where she was hit her like a punch in the face, but she overcame it quickly, realizing, to her dismay, that the last few days were real and that she was no a burden on her beloved Naruto's shoulders. Soon, she realized that Naruto himself had stayed in a seat next to her, watching over her the entire night. Guilt tore at her as his eyes blinked open and he smiled a sleepy grin at her.

"Hey there… you're awake, good," he said, standing up and stretching. "Well… I'll just go and make us some breakfast and you can get changed…"

As he walked out of the room, Hinata wondered what exactly she would change into until she noticed the outfit on the dresser: a light yellow sundress, with a few small frills here and there, accompanied by a white blouse. She picked up the note that rested beside the clothing, reading, "Hinata – I thought these clothes would make you look and feel pretty. – Naruto." She didn't smile, nor did she feel any happiness from this note, just more guilt from the thought that he had gone through more trouble for her. _"Worthless,"_ she thought, unzipping her jacket, _"Just another worthless chapter in your worthless life."_

Naruto stood over his oven, flipping the pancake he'd whipped up, pleased at how it had turned out: He hadn't burned it and he'd managed to cook it until, as the instructions ordered, it was "light and fluffy." Footsteps from the bedroom alerted him to Hinata's presence. With a look, he saw her in the doorway, dressed in the clothes he'd given her, but the carrying herself the same way. Head down, hands compressed, she'd tied her hair back in a long ponytail. Naruto guessed she didn't want her long, silken locks interrupting her meal.

He smiled, though it betrayed his heart. Hurt though he was by her condition, he smiled, hoping that the lack of gloom on his face would spread to her. "Oh!" he said, setting the pancake down on a plate. "You look nice." She did not react, so he created a _bunshin_ to pour her some juice (thankfully bought a only few days before) and another to pour the syrup while he cut her meal. "Well. Dig in," he said, laying out a small, dull, plastic fork and retracting the knife he'd used, lest she misuse it.

Wielding the fork, she noticed for the first time the small bits of cloth around each wrist. But as she raised her arms to examine them, she noticed that Naruto too bore these odd bands. Naruto pretended not to notice. Internally, however, he breathed a sigh of relief that his ruse had worked. Naruto had wielded the principle of "monkey-see-monkey-do": If Hinata saw that if Naruto also wore chakra inhibitors, she would figure they were okay.

After she ate, the day progressed in a similar, silent matter. Naruto attempted, every few moments, to engage her in conversation, trying to see if anything would bring her around, with no success. Hinata stayed resting in her bed mainly, except to use the bathroom.

The next few days did not yield any progress either. It had become a routine for Naruto: Get up, feed Hinata, tend to the house, rest by her side, and repeat. Eventually, Sakura came around to alert him that Team Kakashi had received a mission.

"We can keep Hinata at the hospital until we get back," she assured him.

"No," he said.

"No?"

"No," he repeated. "Tell Tsunade-baachan… I'm retiring."

"From what?" asked Sakura, puzzled.

"From being a shinobi."

Sakura gaped at him. "But… but…"

"No buts."

"But what about your dream? You won't become Hokage!"

"I know," he said, giving her a sad smile. "But this is more important."

Sakura frowned at him. "Alright. I'll tell her," she said, and left.

--------------------------

"So that's it, eh?" Tsunade said as Sakura finished. "That idiot…" She pulled a document from her stack of forms.

"What are you doing, Tsunade-sama?" asked Sakura.

"I'm temporarily removing Naruto and Hinata from their respective teams and giving each of them an indefinite paid vacation." Handing the form to Sakura, she told, "Give this to Shizune, will you? And do me a favor, don't tell the elders about this."

Sakura, an excited smile upon her lips, grabbed the form, answered, "Yes ma'am!" and ran to find her sempai.

------------------------

At the apartment, Naruto stood outside his bathroom, awaiting Hinata so that if anything bad happened, he'd know. He was relatively certain nothing would happen but he'd made sure to take out the shower curtain cord just in case.

Hinata exited her bath, drying off and dressing herself. She was about to leave the room when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. The word "worthless" had rung out in her head constantly ever since her rape, but as she viewed her reflection, it grew a thousand times more terrible. _"Worthless…"_ it hissed, _"Worthless, useless _whore!" Enraged at her own visage, she raised a fist and struck the mirror, glass shards embedding themselves in her fingers, crimson running thickly from her fingers.

Naruto nearly broke down the door in entering, crying, "Hinata!" at sight of her hand, he gingerly clenched it, immediately taking out some bandages from his pack. "Oh my God, Hinata, I'm so sorry," he said, carefully removing each flake and bandaging her wounds. After the worst of it was patched, he produced a troop of clones to find and alert Sakura of this incident. "I'm so sorry," he repeated, "I was stupid, I forgot to take out the mirror… I failed you. I'm a failure as a person, as your friend… I'm worthless."

"No," she said, so softly that Naruto was not sure she'd said it at all.

"What?"

"You're not," she explained. "You're… a good friend."

Hearing her speak made Naruto ecstatic. Progress! Actual progress! "Hinata," he said, wanting to make absolutely certain, "You… you just spoke." She nodded, looking him in the eye. She didn't say anymore as he escorted her to her bed, nor did she when Sakura arrived and healed Hinata. Luckily, the wound was small enough so that it didn't leave a scar. It was then that Sakura told them of the arrangement Tsunade had fixed, making Naruto smile while Hinata's head merely rose slightly.

Sakura did not miss Hinata's actions and noted that even this minor reaction to another's words marked improvement. She left, giving Naruto a short congratulation

As the days became weeks and soon months, Hinata continued to improve, engaging more and more in conversation and even allowing Naruto to touch her lightly. He would keep a _kagebunshin_ in the house to keep her company when he went out and bought groceries. On one such occasion, he contemplated his and Hinata's relationship. _"I think this is the right brand of pancakes she likes… Hmm. She's been doing a lot better as of late,"_ he thought. _"She sure is great… Kind, smart, beautiful… a bunch of kunoichi must be jealous of her, and she must be a target for all the guys."_

He stopped dead in his tracks. _"Oh God. I… I think I want her." _His heart started pumping rapidly. _"She's been raped and I think about dating her? What the fuck is wrong with me? No, no,"_ he said, shaking his head and calming himself. _"Now that I think about it, I must have felt this way about her for a long, long time… I mean, she and I have been spending a lot of time together this year. I've just always had this, this tunnel vision for Sakura-chan, I guess I ignored my own heart. But it doesn't matter. I can't tell her, not while she's like this. Oh well. At least I'm helping her get better…" _Despite all of Hinata's improvement, however, one thing was still missing…

"So, Hinata," said Naruto, chewing some ramen while Hinata munched her rice. "What do you say we head out and get some groceries today?"

Hinata paused before saying, "I… I don't… I can't, Naruto-kun," she said, taking her gaze away from him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said, gripping her hand, "If you're uncomfortable, I can wait." She blushed a little and the corners of his mouth curved up. Naruto was shocked. "Hinata… you… you smiled!"

Her blush deepened substantially as she said, "Naruto-kun… you always make me smile."

Initially a little surprised at this comment, Naruto, grinning, scratched the back of his head sheepishly and replied, "Well, Hinata, you… always make me smile too."

A tomato would envy the color Hinata became. She found herself breathing heavily as she stared into his eyes, his wonderful blue eyes… she felt she could lose herself in them, swim forever in his aqua spheres. She didn't know it, but Naruto loved her eyes as well. Despite their pupil-less state, he adored their lilac centers. She continued to match his gaze until, acting instinctively, she reached over the dinner table and brushed her lips against his ever so lightly.

Naruto found himself in a rare instance of him blushing. Hinata immediately pulled back, waving her arms frantically and screeching, "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me, I just-"

"No," he cut through softly, "It… it's fine. I… liked it."

Her eyes widened as her voice reduced to a whisper. "Y-you did?" He nodded. "Oh, Naruto-kun," she sighed and leaned to him once more, crushing his lips against hers again, but kissing him fully, with all she was. He kissed back, cupping her cheeks and standing, pulling her up with him so that they could be closer.

"_Take it slow,"_ he told himself, running his hands down her back, _"Be gentle."_ Soon, however, he found Hinata's tongue forcing its way into his mouth. He was all too eager to reciprocate.

Suddenly, however, a notion struck Hinata so forcefully that her mouth was practically jettisoned from their embrace as she cried. "I-if th-this is just for p-p-pity," she sobbed, "I-I-I'll _never_ forgive you!" The words seared her throat crawling out of her voice box, but she had to say it, to know where she stood once and for all.

Naruto, eyes wide and mouth still open, was speechless for only a few seconds until he uttered, "Hinata… in this past year, I've gotten to know you, your mind, your kindness, your likes and dislikes, everything. Not even taking care of you all this time has changed my mind about this." He leaned in deep, just a hair's width from her nose. "I love you, Hinata. There's no denying it."

Her tears had stopped, but resumed, products of the immense euphoria her heart emanated. She slung her arms around Naruto's neck tightly and closed the gap, driving her tongue inside his mouth yet again. Naruto, as he swept the tears from Hinata's cheeks, felt a similar sense of exhilaration, happily playing with her tongue as she did the same. She started to unzip her jacket, but stopped midway, pulling back again.

"What's the matter?" Naruto asked.

"I… are you sure you want me?" she asked, "I mean, I'm tainted, unchaste… ruined," she finished with a gulp.

Naruto shook his head. "Hinata, I don't care what's happened in the past. I don't care what your father said." Stroking a raven strand, he said, "You're still pure, innocent to me."

Without a word, Hinata once more resumed their pleasure and completely zipped off the jacket, Naruto pointing towards the bedroom. She followed his guidance toward the bed straight away, discarding her jacket and fishnet shirt to the floor. Soon after, his clothes were removed as well, with her pants and underwear joining them. Now, they were stripped down to just their bodies, their raw, passionate forms. It was just then that Naruto recalled a teaching of Jiraiya's…

"_Every man should learn to please a woman, Naruto," said a drunk Jiraiya one night after training._

"_I don't get it. Why the hell do I need to learn these stupid techniques?" asked an indignant Naruto._

"_Imagine you're sent into a territory where you need to seduce a powerful woman!"_

"_Okay. I'm imagining it. Now what?"_

"_These techniques will make any woman putty in your hand."_

"_Ugh. I would really just rather get back to training," Naruto grumbled._

"_Okay," said Jiraiya, supercilious, "I guess you don't want to learn how to upgrade your Rasengan, then."_

"_Fine!" shouted Naruto hotly, "Just teach me the stupid tricks!" _

Naruto situated himself above Hinata, inspecting her glorious, voluptuous form.

"_These techniques function like the Eight Gates of chakra, except that you perform them on someone else. They can, however be just as dangerous, in the wrong hands."_

"_Yeah, I'm sure," muttered Naruto, sotto voce._

"_What was that?"_

"_Nothing."_

"_They act by inserting chakra into your lady's body via a refined chakra blade, finer than that of a syringe. Don't worry. It won't hurt, and the more chakra you put in, the better the effect. The first one, and this is one you'll like, I know, is transmitted through the mouth…"_

Naruto focused as hard as he could as he explored Hinata's mouth and, using all the control he could, beamed as great an amount of chakra he could without losing the control into a point in Hinata's mouth. She immediately gasped, eyes wide, and Naruto smiled as he saw her nipples stand erect. _"Thanks, Ero-sennin," _he thought, _"I guess those hours and hours of practicing were worth it after all."_

"Wha… what was that?" she panted through a series of labored breaths.

"Just something I picked up," he told her.

"_The second one is actually in two places, directed forty-five degrees and five inches down and out from each nipple," Jiraiya explained._

Naruto ran his hands over her breast, taking the opportunity to squeeze them gently, sucking the one tip while toying with the other, and relishing Hinata's pleasured reactions. "Ohhh-hoh-hoh" she moaned, blood rushing from the effects of the first point. Giddy, Naruto followed Jiraiya's instructions as he remembered them, approximating forty-five degrees and blasting an enormous amount of chakra into each node. Hinata shrieked, contorting with sexual ecstasy. Naruto felt his erection pulsate heavily.

"_The third one is eight inches directly below her solar plexus. I warn you, Naruto, do not go beyond the third one the first time around."_

"_Why? What'll happen?"_

"_The first three are enough to make the woman feel insane with erotic thrill. After that… well, most women can't handle it with anything before the first time, and their minds raise their standards so that they cannot achieve release by anything less than what was provided. And God help you if you go to the eighth and final point…"_

"_Why… is that?" Naruto asked, almost afraid of the truth._

"_It will shatter her mind completely, taking away her freedom and making her your slave so that she will live only to pleasure and be pleasured by you. It's a treacherous thing, and it is the reason these techniques are only taught by the worthy, to the worthy."_

"_Then what's the point of the eighth one?"_

"_The mind-shattering can be overcome. If, before the intercourse, the woman loves the man completely and freely, with all her heart and soul, her mind will override the shattering. She will retain her independence, her standards will remain the same, but she will be taken to a place of the highest state a woman can go. Every nerve in her body reacts to the pleasure center of the brain at once. It is something few ever feel and as the man making love to her, you will feel it equally."_

These memories made Naruto even more excited. _"I can't be too careful," _he thought, and counted eight inches from her solar plexus. Mustering all the chakra he could, he forced the energy into the spot. Hinata's body froze for a moment and then began to wildly spasm, her hands grabbing and tearing the sheets.

"Naruto-kun!" she screamed, "Please, I need it now!"

With a few quick seals, Naruto cast a protection jutsu on himself and thrust away at Hinata, each pounding moment sending enough bliss through her to make her writhe even more and it wasn't long until she had an earth shattering climax, over and over, with Naruto following closely behind. Their names rang out to each other, crystallizing the moment in their minds for all eternity.

Eventually, it subsided and he rolled over, holding her tightly to him so that they could fit. "Hinata," he whispered, "I love you."

"I… l-love you too," she answered, gasping for breath," S-so much… an unbel-lieveable amount…"

"I'm so glad you're finally back," he added.

"Me too," she agreed, "Me… too," and promptly fell to sleep.

Naruto watched her drift off before chasing after soon enough.

---------------------------------

Well, that's that for now. This one seemed to write more easily than the last one… wonder why. Well, I hope you enjoyed it, and there will most likely be a second chapter. So, please review! I hate to see a story that is liked but not commented upon! Even a simple "I liked it," will suffice.


	2. One More Day

Wow! I got a little discouraged after the fic only got two reviews after a few days, but after I reposted it, it immediately got twenty-one as of now! Thank you all so much, you've encouraged me greatly! I'm so glad you all seemed to like Jiraiya's ultimate ero-jutsu.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Naruto awoke to the warm sensation that was Hinata's back pressed against his chest. Briefly suffering the sensation of temporary morning-amnesia, the memories of last night flooded to him, lulling him into a sweet reverie. He tightened his embrace around his still slumbering love, thrusting his nose into the nape of her neck, inhaling the sweet fragrance she exuded. She was still lightly damp with the sweat generated from last night's affairs and that, combined with her natural scent of wildflowers produced an aroma of spice and flavor so incredible Naruto couldn't resist but give her a small peck, stroking her long raven tresses.

Like electricity to wire, this seemed to jumpstart Hinata's mind, waking her from her rest. She blinked slowly for a few seconds and then noticed Naruto's arms around her. "Naruto-kun…"

"Yeah?"

"Did we… was last night… real?" she asked timidly.

He leaned in closely, whispering to her ear, "Completely."

She turned around so she could face him. Excitedly, she breathed, "Then that means you…?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling softly, "I love you, Hinata. You're the love of my life."

Before the sentence had even been completed, tears of joy had sprung forth from Hinata's eyes. "Oh, Naruto-kun!" she cried, kissing him and forcing her tongue through his lips, swishing it around his mouth as fast as she could. Naruto had not been expecting such a shock this early in the morning and was left dazed when her mouth left his. "I love you. I love you so much that I used to faint at the sight of you."

Naruto grinned. "When did you start?" he asked gently.

"Hm?"

"Since when have you loved me?"

Hinata placed a finger to her chin. "Let's see… do you remember the second week we were in the academy together, and we had our first shuriken practice?"

"Yeah."

"About six minutes into that," she answered sweetly.

Naruto gaped at her. Mind-boggled, he said "But… that was… that was years and years ago!"

"Yes," she replied, still charmingly. "From the moment I saw you, I knew you were special, because… you were like me. Everyone called you a failure, everyone rejected you, and yet you persisted. You inspired me to move forward, to change myself, and for that… I loved you. You were more precious to me than the entire world. You still are."

"Hinata…" He pulled her even closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Brow raised, she asked, "Why's that?"

"I was stupid. Really, really stupid… I called you plain and timid… but really, you were this wonderful girl all along, and I didn't notice. I'm sorry," he repeated, giving her a squeeze.

"It's okay," she murmured, returning the embrace. "So… how about you? When did you… realize your own feelings?"

"Whoo," he said, "I guess, I only _realized_ them like a few months ago, but when I think about it… I've had them for a while. Maybe even a short while after Ero-sennin's death."

"I said it's _okay_," she reassured him, "We have each other now." He nodded, pleased. "So," she said, leaning back so she could face him, "What do you want to do now?"

He smiled; leaning back and yawning, he began flapping his arms wildly as he fell off the bed with a loud thunk. Concerned, Hinata looked over the edge to see him chortling as he rubbed the bump that had appeared on his head. "Looks like I'll need a bigger bed," he said, lifting himself up. "What do you say we go shopping for one today?"

Fear etched itself in Hinata's features. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple. In a hushed voice, she said, "N-Naruto-kun… you know I can't do that."

"You can," he protested, taking her hand. "I believe in you. You'll be okay, I promise."

Her breathing grew unsteady as she replied, "B-but w-w-what if-"

"No buts," he interrupted, "Whatever happens, I'll protect you with my life, no matter what."

She drew a deep, long breath. _"Naruto-kun's words,"_ she thought, _"His face, his eyes, his stance… everything is telling me to trust him. Maybe, just maybe…"_ "O-okay," she gulped, lifting herself from the bed. "I-I-I'll do it."

He smiled and then reached for his pants. "Alright… let's get dressed and we'll go," he said, pulling the clothing over himself. She nodded and followed suit, grabbing her clothes.

A few minutes later, they were dressed and groomed, standing right in front of Naruto's apartment door. "Okay," he said, grasping the knob. "Are you ready?"

She shook her head. "No," she said, "But let's do it anyway." Nodding, he opened the door and walked through and she, breathing deep once more, stepped through quickly.

"You see?" he said, gesturing to the outside, "Nothing bad out here."

She gazed at the scene before her: The streets were bustling with the various inhabitants of Konoha, children playing, people talking, but most of all, Hinata noticed the weather. The sun was shining radiantly and Hinata, facing the sun, took a lungful of fresh air. Despite her worrying and fidgeting, she smiled and turned to Naruto, offering her hand. "Let's go," she said, and Naruto, returning the expression, accepted her palm, clutching her palm and leading her through the streets. "So where are we going first?" Hinata asked as they walked.

"First… we gotta visit Ino's shop," he said, and a minute later, they enetered the Yamanaka flower shop.

"Welcome, custom-" Ino began, but pressed her hand against her mouth when she caught sight of her patrons. "Oh my God," she whispered. She jumped over the counter and embraced Hinata in a hug as tightly as possible. "Hinata!" she cried, releasing her grip and inspecting her up and down. "I haven't seen you in so long! Look at you, you look amazing!"

Hinata smiled sweetly as she could while surprised at this outburst, "Th-thank you, Ino-chan," she said, bowing.

"And look at me, gawking at you! Come, come, tell me what you need." she asked, returning to her position behind the counter.

"We'll need a dozen roses, please," said Naruto.

"Sure thing! I have some in the back, if you'll follow me please, Naruto," she replied, waving him over.

"I'll be right back," he nodded to Hinata, and then walked towards Ino, closing the door behind him.

"Okay," she said in a quiet tone, cutting the roses, "The real reason I called you back here… Well, I heard what happened to her, the rape and disownment – Hiashi's a bastard, by the way - and considering Hinata's character… I'm sorry to say this, but I never would have thought she could recover. But you…" she pointed at Naruto, "You somehow brought her back from the brink. No one in this village could have done that: not Kurenai-sensei, not Kiba, not Shino, _no one_. I used to think it was crazy and stupid when you babbled on about being Hokage and whatnot, but really… after seeing what you've done today, I wholeheartedly believe you could lead this village."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks, but really, I was just helping a friend."

"I know," she replied, bundling the roses, "And that's what makes it amazing. Thank you so much, Naruto."

"Don't mention it," he said, taking the flowers, "Thanks for these." He walked out of the backroom and said to Hinata, "Okay, we're ready. Let's go." As they stepped out the door, he added, "See ya, Ino!" and Hinata waved, leaving a contented Ino waiting for her next customer.

Hinata had been a bit nervous entering the shop but relaxed a bit as she left. She had been afraid that everyone would view her as a pathetic wreck, but Ino seemed positively delighted to see her. _"She was probably just being nice,"_ Hinata rationalized in doubt. "So where are we going with these roses, Naruto-kun?"

"We're… going to see an old friend," Naruto said solemnly, Hinata on his left arm and the roses on his right. Hinata instantly knew what he meant and her thoughts were confirmed as they reached the Konoha memorial graveyard. They stopped at a statue and Hinata took in its sight: There it was, a young Jiraiya, portrayed in shining black stone, perched on a gold frog, grinning confidently. The plaque, Hinata saw, read:

JIRAIYA OF THE LEGENDARY SANNIN

THE GALLANT SAGE OF MOUNT MYOBOKU, THE DEMON AMONG THE TOADS, THE MAGNIFICENT TEACHER OF THE GREATEST ALIVE AND DEAD

FOR HIS HONORABLE WORKS, IN LIFE AND AT DEATH, WE REMEMBER HIM FOR ETERNITY

The inscription was so fitting Naruto had initially wondered whether or not Jiraiya had composed it himself before dying. It constantly made him nostalgic regarding their training and with his newly recalled "lessons" on how to please the fairer sex, Naruto nearly felt physically compelled to visit the memorial. Now, as he laid the flowers upon the base of the grave, he noticed a second bouquet, not a day old. _"Baachan,"_ Naruto thought with a sad smile. Bent down, he read the simple tag inside Tsunade's flowers, "I'm so sorry. Love forever, Tsunade-hime."

It seemed she still felt a twinge of guilt every now and then, even well over a year later. Naruto was unsurprised. If the death of Dan on top of her little brother's had been enough to send her, a medic, into a state of hemophobia, certainly Jiraiya's death would linger longer than twelve months.

With a deep breath, Naruto began to speak. "Hey, Ero-sennin. It's nice to see you again. Sorry I didn't come visit more recently, I've just been a little… busy. That reminds me," he said, with a glance at Hinata, "You were right. You were absolutely right." He closed his eyes in remembrance.

"_How's it going, Naruto?" asked a still inebriated Jiraiya as Naruto practiced his new task._

"_Screw off!" Naruto bit back, molding chakra._

"_Oh, hey now, there's no need to be so angry," Jiraiya said pleasantly. "You never know when you'll need these techniques. You might be at your little flat one night, holding close to you a glorious, ebon-haired, bright-eyed lady who loves you very much… and then, if you're lucky, you'll get to use the eighth gate. Few in several lifetimes ever get to witness such thing."_

_Naruto, eyebrows up, gawked at Jiraiya in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about, Ero-sennin?"_

_Jiraiya sighed, rolling over in his sleeping bag. "Never mind. Keep it going, and when you've mastered it, I'll help you power up that Rasengan. I'm gonna take a nap in the meantime."_

"_Yes, sir," Naruto grumbled resentfully._

_Jiraiya yawned. "You're a good kid, Minato…" he mumbled quietly._

"_What was that?" Naruto asked, pausing his practice, but Jiraiya had already drifted off and was snoring heavily. "Dammit," he said, resuming, "His stupid wheezing's gonna distract me…"_

"Well," said Naruto, bowing to the statue, "Thanks again. I'll see you later, Ero-sennin. Take care."

Hinata stepped towards the stone colossus. "I'd… like to say something to him, Naruto-kun," she said, "if that's okay." He nodded, and she faced Jiraiya's effigy. "Thank you, Jiraiya-sama," she murmured. "You gave Naruto-kun his power, his dreams… and with that, you allowed him to give hopes and dreams to others. I didn't really know you, but I know you were a good man. I'm in your debt forever." She retreated from the statue. "Okay," she said, clutching Naruto once more, "Let's go buy that bed." He smiled and pulled her away, giving one last satisfied look towards the monument before leaving.

They arrived at the furniture store a few minutes later and began inspecting various mattresses. Naruto, placing his hand on one possible bed, asked, "Whaddya think of this one, Hinata?"

"Uhm, I-I'm not sure, whatever you like is fi_iiii!"_ she squealed as Naruto hoisted her up and tossed her on the bed, leaving her to bounce for a few seconds, first shrieking and then giggling, before settling down, panting. When she recovered, she said, "Th-this one is… great."

Naruto smiled. "Great. Now we just need a frame… yeesh, that, plus the double bed and the sheets…" With a grimace, he revealed his new froggy wallet, taking out the checkbook from within. "That's gonna run me up," he muttered.

Hinata frowned, ashamed. "I'm sorry… I'm making you spend this much…"

His expression immediately reverted. "Hey, no, it's okay! I was going to throw that old thing out anyway! I've had it since I could remember, so it's really short on me anyway, and I dunno if you noticed, but there's this spring that's popped in it, and I keep getting poked. Really annoying," he emphasized. "Besides," he said, taking his arm around her, "Any expense is worth it for you." Poking her cheek, he added with a grin, "Now show me that smile, eh?" Despite herself, she obliged, beaming lightly. "Alright then. Let's get this bed, shall we?"

They finished selecting the frame and sheets and Naruto spoke to the clerk, "Okay, I think that's it…"

"Very good, Naruto-san," the clerk replied, "Would you like us to deliver it now?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, I've got my own shipping service," he said, placing his hands into his familiar cross. _"Tajuu kagebunshin no jutsu (Mass Shadow Doppelganger Technique)!"_ Instantly, several duplicates of Naruto materialized in the room. "Alright, boys!" he directed, "Take the stuff and go home!" Saluting briefly, the clones organized themselves and exited with Naruto's purchases. The original Naruto and Hinata left soon after, leaving the clerk more than a little disturbed.

"Hey, Hinata," Naruto said as they walked, "What's the date?"

"Uhm, the nineteenth, I think," she replied.

"Great!" said Naruto, clenching an excited fist, "Today's payday! Let's go see Tsunade-baachan, eh?"

"Uh, um…" she said nervously, pushing her fingers together, "M-maybe we could just go home… We've been out for a while."

Naruto sighed. "I promise you it'll be our last stop. Then we can return, okay?" He wanted to push her, just the smallest bit, every day.

She clamped her eyes tight for a few seconds while Naruto waited with baited breath. "O… Okay," she said finally. "Let's go see Hokage-sama." His smile returned and quickly, he grasped her palm and hurried off to the building with the kanji of fire on its balcony.

"And so, the documents recovered without any witnesses, Team Kakashi was able to retreat from the Land of Water," Sakura finished informing Tsunade alongside Sasuke and Kakashi.

"Excellent," Tsunade said, satisfied at the report, "You, Sasuke, and Kakashi will receive payment with a bonus for a perfectly executed S-class mission and, of course, a portion will be distributed to Naruto as part of his paid leave." Suddenly, a knock came at the office door. "Yes? Come in?"

"Hey guys," Naruto said, entering. "How're you all doing?"

"Well speak of the devil," Tsunade muttered. "I assume you're here for your check? Good timing."

"Yeah, it's great. I just bought a new double bed," he added with a smirk.

Tsunade did a double take, but smiled immediately after. "That's good to hear, very good to hear," she said, searching the drawer for Naruto's payment.

Naruto glanced at the door and gestured to come in. "It's okay," he said gently.

Slowly, Hinata entered and though kept her head down, she did utter, "H-hello, ev-veryone."

The room fell completely silent. Sakura stared at the couple; eyes wide and mouth agape, while Kakashi and Sasuke merely peered from the side, brows elevated. Tsunade, on the other hand, merely watched, gladdened by the sight. "Oh my God," Sakura started softly, hyperventilating, "Hinata… you're – you're out here, out of the house, and-"

"I think what Sakura means to say," Kakashi cut through, "is welcome home, Hinata-san." Sasuke gave an agreeing nod.

"Th-thank you," she whispered with a little bow.

Tsunade closed her eyes in contemplation and, reaching a decision, opened them. "Alright, Naruto, this was supposed to be given to you when you turned eighteen, but since your birthday _is_ in a few months, and, considering the circumstances, I suppose I can let you have it a little bit early. That is," she said, eyeing the shinobi before her suspiciously, "If you five can keep your mouths shut about it."

"Uh," said Naruto, giving her a quizzical gaze, "Don't wanna be rude there, baa-chan, but… what the hell are you talking about?"

"Naruto," she said, very seriously. "Did you honestly think that, with Jiraiya as your godfather, the only things you'd receive would be a book and a few pieces of paper?"

"It _is_ a good book," Kakashi piped up.

"Uhm," said Naruto, puzzled, "I hadn't really thought about it…"

"Oh, come on!" Tsunade blurted, "You _must_ have seen his checkbook at some point during your time together!"

Naruto indeed did recall, during the search for Tsunade, incidentally, goggling at the sheer number of zeroes in his sensei's account. "Wh… what are you saying?" he asked softly.

"It's your inheritance, Naruto," she answered, pulling out a very ornately designed envelope from a safe under her desk. It was sealed with a gold and red spiral-leaf insignia, the symbol of the entire village. "It's finally time for you to open it. You're the only one who can."

Naruto, hands quaking, took the envelope between his fingers and placed his thumb on the seal. In a flash of blue light, it dissolved, the paper lifting, revealing the check within. There it was, as unbelievable as it appeared: His name as the recipient and Jiraiya's as the sender. The amount was easily ten times Naruto's current savings balance. Naruto began to feel dizzy, slightly relieved as Hinata's hand landed on his shoulder. "Oh… my… fucking… God…" he breathed, the world spinning around him.

Tsunade grinned, a bit demonically. "Don't faint on me now, ya wimp. There's more to come!"

Naruto blanched. "You're fucking with me. You're totally fucking with me."

"Watch your _mouth_," Tsunade growled, a vein throbbing in her forehead. She instantly calmed down, and her smile returned. "Anyway, when Minato and Kushina passed away, they gave control of their assets to Jiraiya, eventually to be passed on to you when the time was right. I believe that time is now." From the safe, this time, she removed a small chest, turquoise with amethyst edges and lock. At the same time, she grasped a tiny, silver key. "Go ahead," she said, holding out to Naruto. "It's all yours."

Naruto's hands were so unstable he couldn't grasp the key properly, the sweat covering his palms. Suddenly, Hinata's hands wrapped around his own. The warmth of her hands seemed to flood him, calming him as he looked to his left, matching her pleasant gaze. "Go," she said softly, "As Tsunade-sama said… it's all yours."

He respired slowly as Hinata guided his hands to the key, nudging his fingers to wrap around its silver handle. Then, slowly, she urged him to push the metal into the lock and twist… the lid flapped open, revealing a series of documents, which Naruto noticed as bank statements. Steeling his resolve, he read them and, as he figured with his father's position as Hokage, Naruto learned that his parents' sum was over twice that of Jiraiya's. He froze, unable to process any emotion or thought.

"Naruto," said Sasuke, "You okay?"

A minute passed until Naruto said, completely rejuvenated, "Okay? Are you kidding me? I'm _better_ than okay! I'm about as rich as you!"

"Yeah, but the difference is that _I_ won't waste it all on ramen," Sasuke returned with a cocky grin.

"Shut up!" Naruto said indignantly, but couldn't remain frustrated as his best friend with this news. "It doesn't matter, anyway." He turned to Hinata. "What's important, is… is that I can finally make everything good in our lives… I can finally set things right."

She beamed at him, then leaned in closely and whispered into his ear, "If I'm with you, as far as I'm concerned, things have already been set right."

He beamed right back at her and then turned to the rest of the room. "Sorry to take my leave so suddenly, but Hinata and I have gotta go!"

"Before you leave," Tsunade said with a caring grin, "Don't spend it all in one place."

"Congratulations, Naruto!" Sakura called as Hinata and Naruto hopped away. Naruto, excited as he was, did not reply to either of the women. Instead, they ran through the halls, and as they entered into the fresh air, Kakashi materialized in front of them.

"Yo!" he said with a slight wave. "Just wanted to give my congratulations. It's really great."

"Thanks, sensei," Naruto said graciously.

"You know," Kakashi muttered as he leafed through _The Tale of the Gallant Naruto."_ "Jiraiya-sama was extremely proud of you, Naruto."

"Yeah, I know."

"And like I said you would… you've already surpassed my sensei." Naruto could only grin with a slight uncharacteristic blush. With what Naruto uncertainly presumed was a wink, Kakashi added, "Now, since you've cleaned up your shinobi life, go get your personal life in shape, okay?"

Naruto's teeth shined at Kakashi as he brilliantly replied, "Yes, _sir!"_ With that, he swooped his hand under Hinata, scooping her into his arms as she squealed with delight. "See you later, sensei!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Have a good day, Kakashi-sensei!" Hinata called as Naruto leapt away with her across the rooftop, while Kakashi waved back and resumed flipping through his book.

They reached the apartment, hurrying to the bedroom where the kagebunshin had already set up their new bed. Dispersing them, Naruto clambered onto it, Hinata sitting lightly on the edge. "So, today was a good day, eh?" he asked hopefully.

She remained silent for a moment, apparently deliberating Naruto's question. Soon, however, she donned a tremendous smile and said "… Yes, it was."

Naruto's heart swelled. Not only was it incredible that she showed another sign of recovery, but Naruto absolutely loved her smile. As he'd said to her last night, she was so pure, so innocent… a symbol, to him, of everything good and worth living for in his life. When she was happy, it seemed the whole world couldn't resist following along and Naruto loved her even more for that. Seeing her yawn (another adorable sight), he said, "You're pretty tired, huh?"

"Mhm," she replied, hand on her mouth.

"Well… you can rest on this nice, cushy bed while I go out and do something," he said, pressing down on the mattress. "Wow, this thing really is cushy," he added with a surprised stare.

"Okay…" she said sleepily, laying her head upon the pillow.

Naruto took the blanket and tucked her in, pausing for a moment to run his hand through her silken locks and pass a finger over her soft cheek. "I love you," he whispered as her lids slowly fell.

"I… love you too," she muttered as her breathing steadied to the light sound of sleep.

Silently creating a few bunshin to watch over her, Naruto, with one last fond look at his lover, opened his window and leapt out. _"I wish I could rest with you, Hinata,"_ he thought, _"but this is something I've got to do."_

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Hyuga Hiashi sat alone in his quarters at the Hyuga estate, sipping sake at a rather frequent rate, his heart muddled with trifle. He knew that over the last few months, the word had spread that he had disowned his wonderful daughter. He was a new monster in the village: every person he to whom he talked spoke with a terrible tone, and even some of his subordinates within the clan acted the same way. He had begun to rethink his actions, something he'd rarely done over the years. And so, he contemplated his future with alcohol, hoping that it's intoxicating effect would relieve some of his stress.

Suddenly, footsteps reached his ear and behind him a voice said, "Knock-knock, asshole."

Slowly, he turned around, placing the sake gently on the floor and replied, "How did you get in here, Kyuubi-brat?"

Naruto, face in a scowl, said, "Let's just say your guards are… sleeping."

"Intriguing," Hiashi said, activating his Byakugan and pacing around Naruto. "So you've managed to surpass even our elite clan members, or at least… the weaker ones. I assume you're here for… her?"

Naruto's scowl deepened, his teeth clenched in rage. "_She_ has a name, you know. It's _Hyuga_ Hinata. She's your _daughter_."

Hiashi did not respond for a moment, pausing his pacing. Afterwards, however, he responded as he continued his circling, "I can tell by your heart rate and bodily functions that you are not nervous or frightened by my presence, and that you are resolute in coming here. Impressive."

"I'm not afraid of you," Naruto growled, "I'm certain I can kick your ass to hell."

Hiashi smirked, once again stopping, this time facing Naruto. "Is that so… let's see you try, shall we?" With that, he lunged at Naruto, palm open and planted it against his chest. Naruto, much to Hiashi's surprise, disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I can cast _Kagebunshin no Jutsu_ without seals or announcement, faster than your stupid eyes can see," Naruto told Hiashi coldly.

"Impossible. You merely got lucky. But luck runs out, brat," he said, lunging at Naruto again, hitting another fake.

"You call me 'Kyuubi-brat,' because I have the demon fox sealed within me," Naruto said as he continued to dodge Hiashi's strikes. "I was strong, strong enough to fight on par with the heirs to the Uchiha clan. But I was not strong enough to face my fate, to fight the evils that would chase after me solely for what I am. I always denied the demon fox, keeping it in its cage until I needed just some power from it."

"Your story lacks interest," Hiashi said, throwing another futile fist at Naruto.

"I'm getting to the point, hold up," he said, this time catching Hiashi's wrist and staring him straight in the eyes. "An asshole once told me that my identity crisis was this: Am I Naruto, or am I the fox? In order to face those who hunted me, I decided to defy that. I decided to become both. It's too long to explain now… but I became powerful from it. I gained the power I needed to protect those I care about, those too dear to me to let go. I gained that strength because I love. That's it. You, however," he raged, tightening his grip on Hiashi's wrist, "You have power, always have. You've got the strength of your bloodline and an entire clan at your disposal. But you use that to push away those who deserve your care, those who had to have it in their time of need. You can't give it to them, to her. That is why you will never be able to beat me, Hiashi."

Hiashi, listening to Naruto's words, found himself oddly understanding them and slowly, he retracted his fists, deactivating his Byakugan and realizing, at last, exactly what he had done to his first child. "Dear God…" he muttered, falling to his knees, "What… what have I- I'm terrible, I really am a monster, I-"

"Save your pity party," Naruto said harshly, "We're not doing this thing for you. It's for Hinata."

"Very well," Hiashi said as he rose, "She… that is, Hinata, my little girl, my daughter, is once again heiress to this clan. She will be allowed back on the premises."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, that's great and all, but she'll still be staying with me."

Hiashi gaped at first, and then nodded. "Yes… I understand."

"And I expect you to give her a full apology."

"Of course."

"Now," said Naruto, walking away, "I'm going to go care for your daughter," and exploded in a puff of smoke.

"_That one was a bunshin too, eh?"_ Hiashi thought sorrowfully in the darkness of his room. Slowly, he walked to his desk, gathered paper and brush, and began to compose, "To my dear, wonderful child…"

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Meanwhile, learning that Hinata was still napping from the information gained from his bunshin, Naruto decided to enjoy a nice meal with his best friend. As he walked to Ichiraku, suddenly, the immense realization hit him like a sack of bricks. _"Hooooly shit. I'm rich. I'm _loaded_! I can finally pay back Iruka-sensei for ramen!"_ Blissful at the knowledge that Hiashi was dealt with and his financial problems had dissolved, Naruto landed next to Sasuke at the ramen stand's bench.

"Hey," said Sasuke, grinning, "You're late. Picking up some of Kakashi's traits?"

"Nah," said Naruto, toothily smiling, "Just had to take care of something, a onetime deal."

"Well, alright," said Sasuke, separating his chopsticks and digging in, "Itadakimasu."

The two ate happily chitchatting about their lives, and Sasuke asked, "So you and Hinata are a couple, huh?"

Naruto chuckled. "So you noticed. Insightful, that Sharingan is."

"No, it was just ridiculously obvious."

"Is that so," Naruto said happily into the sky.

"So how is it?" Sasuke asked.

"What?"

"The relationship."

In a dazed sort of smile, Naruto said, "Perfect."

"Really?"

"Yeah… she's great, she's beautiful, smart, kind… she has a heart purer than any I've seen."

Sasuke smiled, happy for his friend. "That's good, real good."

"So how about you and Sakura-chan?"

"Oh, boy," said Sasuke, "It's a wild ride, I'll tell you that. She's some incredible woman, full of energy like nobody's business."

"Excellent," said Naruto. Bursting another bunshin, he said, "Well, I've gotta go." He flipped out some money. "This one's on me."

Briefly slapping hands with Sasuke, Naruto returned to his place, where Hinata was just waking up, rubbing the sleep out of her lilac eyes. Rupturing the last of his clones, he placed his arms around her, whispering, "Hey there, sleepy head."

She turned into his embrace, planting a kiss on him. "Hi…" she muttered.

Naruto kissed back, and soon, she inserted her tongue in his mouth, swishing it around its inside, exciting Naruto heavily. He responded in the same manner and after some quick sword fighting, he reached his hand to her jacket, hesitating until she gave the signal. Before undoing the signal, however, he parted from her and asked in a hushed tone, "Hinata… how much do you love me?"

She seemed a bit surprised at the question, but answered, "I love you more than I love life, more than I thought I could love another. You are my inner, outer existence. You are the sunshine that lightens my day and the moonlight that keeps me while I sleep. I look into your eyes and I see all the glorious things of existence." She pulled him closer. "I love you, Uzumaki Naruto-kun, infinitely, transcending the boundaries of reality."

Naruto almost felt himself tearing up. "Okay… that's all I needed, because really, I just… I feel the same. I'm not that good with words, but that's what I can assure you of. I want us to be united forever." Pulling down the zipper in a clean sweep, he added in a whisper, "And I plan to do that right now."

He laid her on the bed; sensually undressing her, almost tearing the fishnet shirt off and running his hands over her toned, lean thighs when he removed her pants. He got to her panties and delicately took them from her, excited by her scent. Focused once more, he began his work, remembering another lesson from Jiraiya.

"_Though all gates function as extreme pleasure givers, they also have side effects," Jiraiya said._

"_Like what?" asked Naruto, barely listening as he practiced._

"_The first gate reaches into the woman's higher brain functions, allowing her heightened sense when it comes to touch and feeling."_

Naruto thrust his tongue into Hinata's mouth once more and activated the first gate. She gasped, her nipples becoming erect. _"He did it again!"_ she thought as her mind went wild. "Wha… Naruto-kun, what are you doing to me?"

"I'm giving you a gift," he said softly, "The greatest gift I can." He continued working on her body, pushing the next nodes from her breasts.

"_The second gate rewires the central nervous paths, allowing a certain extent of pain to be converted to pleasure."_

Testing out this power, he bit lightly into her shoulder, the more primal part of his body wanting to mark her forever as his own, no one else's, as his prey and his mate. She didn't wince in pain; instead, she moaned in pleasure. Satisfied with the second gate's effects, Naruto moved on to the third.

"_If you push the third gate, it activates the pleasure center of the brain more thoroughly, causing several more points on her body to become erogenous zones…"_

Naruto activated it, eight inches from her solar plexus, and she shrieked a quiet shriek.

"_If you're planning on going past the third gate, that would be the time to start in all your foreplay."_

Naruto, grinning deviously, ran his hands across her body, across her abdomen, sending waves of pleasure through Hinata. He worked her breasts, so wonderfully soft and perky that despite their immense size (larger than any kunoichi besides Tsunade), she needn't wear a bra. He gripped one as roughly as he could and wrapped his lips, teeth, and tongue around the other's erect nipple. He recalled a comment from her regarding her great body, heard accidentally while she confided Kurenai-sensei.

"_So you've gone through yet another bra size?" Kurenai asked, impressed._

"_Yes… they keep growing, and I don't see an end in sight. They're really sensitive, too! I often have to-" she cut off, embarrassed, "… that is, well-" she said, pushing her fingers together, face the color of an immaculate rose._

"_And you have no stretch marks or blemishes or anything?" Kurenai asked in disbelief._

"_No…"_

"_Don't worry," Kurenai said, placing a comforting hand on Hinata's shoulder, "It just means you're a very lucky girl."_

Naruto (agreeing with Kurenai) had thought when he noticed her developing body that it was just wishful thinking, but now he knew that soon enough, she would be in Tsunade's league. Naruto's erection pulsated with this thought as he kneaded her breasts, driving his fingers into them as hard as he could, basking in the ecstasy gained from Hinata's yelps of pleasure. "So… soft…" he groaned as he worked.

Reluctantly, he moved on, running his hands across her body the whole way so that she would feel the third gate's effect. He arrived at the base of her spine, the location of the fourth gate.

"_Should you activate the fourth gate, it releases her body's reaction to strain, allowing her to temporarily move like she wouldn't normally think to."_

He blasted the chakra into her and as soon as he did, she flipped onto her stomach, latching her legs completely around him as though she were a contortionist, positioning herself perfectly prepared for him to penetrate.

Naruto wanted desperately to move on, to finish the job as soon as possible, so he moved his fingers to her navel, the fifth gate.

"_The fifth gate blasts enough erotic energy through her that her desperation for sex becomes too much to bear."_

Hinata, moaning yet again at the gate's activation, reached back towards Naruto, grabbing at his member, and moaning, "Need… so… big… neeeeed huge cock to fuuuuck me!"

Turned on by her removed inhibition, he snatched her wrist and said, "Not yet. Not quite yet." He decided that she wanted this to finish as much as he did and he proceeded to the sixth gate, positioned as dual points in her inner thighs, barely able to concentrate on the chakra flow.

"_Gate number six increases nerve impulse and blood pressure, so that the pleasure reaches more thoroughly, quickly, and completely."_

Naruto, regretfully unlatching her legs from around him, moved to grope her tremendous breasts yet again, and even before he touched the nipple, its sheer proximity made her cry out in insane euphoria. Finally, he reached the seventh gate, right on her clitoris.

"_The penultimate gate reduces her mind state to a primal, raw level, removing all sapient thought – linguistics, calculations, everything - so that the whole of the pleasure created by the past six gates becomes her entire mind's focus."_

Naruto pushed with as much as he could muster and Hinata went silent. No longer did she shriek, no longer did she moan. Instead, she merely gasped in a silent scream of elation, her blank pupils dilated to the maximum, her tongue hanging out, lapping excitedly at some invisible, unknown object, and tears of joy trickling down her cheeks.

He smiled at this sight, completely prepared to deliver the final strike, but hesitated. _"Can I really risk it? Will I chance shattering her mind?" _he thought, nervous.

But suddenly, he heard Hinata, though her language skills were shot, though her rational mind was sleeping, say, "I… love… Naruto…kun…"

Resolve restored, Naruto thought, _"Yes. I will."_

"_The final gate,"_ _Jiraiya said, excited, "If you ever unlock it, is – perfectly placed, I believe - located right in the vagina. You can't use your fingers for it."_

"_Then… what do I do?" asked Naruto._

"_You use… you know…" he made a series of hand gestures._

"_I'm not following."_

"_Your wang."_

"_Huh."_

"_Anyway, I can't tell you what the final gate is like… it's too incredible to be described in words. Good luck with it."_

Naruto positioned himself at her entrance, casting the protection jutsu as quickly as he could. He took hold of her perfect rear for a few seconds before, with a deep breath, he thrust himself into her and her shrieks and cries and screams returned with a vengeance. Naruto summoned up all the chakra he could, tapping into the demon fox's reserves, and with one thrust, she began climaxing, he began climaxing, and the world…

Disappeared. He was in a white void, completely empty except for his thoughts. The pleasure, the erotic pleasure he felt around him was incredible, unlike anything he'd ever imagined possible. He was disembodied, merely a mass of thought, but the one thing he knew was that she was with him, she was _one_ with him, united in this incredible pleasure, as one entity. It seemed an eternity passed in this void of paradise until finally…

The world flashed back into reality. Hinata was already passed out, asleep on her back with Naruto's seed - a great deal from his larger-than-usual member – covering her abdomen, and yet a good amount remained at her entrance. Naruto figured that the only reason he was still awake was due to his inhuman stamina, but the eighth gate… Jiraiya had been completely right, it was indescribable by words, and even he was completely wiped from it. But still, mustering up as much strength as he could to stand, he cleaned himself and her up, then laid down next to her, clutching her body, now marked by him, very tightly. She beamed as she lay there, unconscious, and Naruto too could not suppress a smile. Finally, the exhaustion got to him, and he drifted off.

He awoke to the feeling of slender, delicate fingers running through his hair and the scent of flowers in his olfactory senses. Lazily opening his eyes, he found Hinata straddling him, an extremely pleased smile adorning her lips. "Good morning, lover," she whispered, kissing him.

"Mph… morning," he echoed. "How are you feeling?"

"Mm!" she said, stretching, "I feel incredible, Naruto-kun."

Naruto's ego did a victory lap until he remembered Jiraiya's warning:

"_And God help you if you go to the eighth and final point… It will shatter her mind completely, taking away her freedom and making her your slave so that she will live only to pleasure and be pleasured by you… The mind shattering can be overcome. If, before the intercourse, the woman loves the man completely and freely, with all her heart and soul, her mind will override the shattering."_

"_How do I know if it's happened?" Naruto asked._

"_Simple. She will have no free will of her own whatsoever. Everything will be for you and you alone."_

Naruto gulped. "Uh, H-Hinata," he said nervously, "What do you want to do today?"

She laid herself down on his chest, her large breasts mashing up against pectoral muscles. "Oh, I don't know…" she said lazily, "What do you want to do?

Breaking into a sweat, he quickly returned, "I-I-I can't decide. Just pick something. Anything."

Naruto's heart stopped a he waited for her answer. Finally, she said, "Hmm… how about we go get brunch at that new place?"

His heartbeat resumed, at double pace as he sighed in relief. "That… that really sounds great," he said.

She rolled off of him and then the bed, beaming, and said, "Good… then let's get ready, okay?"

A few minutes later, they exited the house and Naruto noticed how much eager she was to go out… was it seeing her friends not revile her, the incredible sex, or both, that had loosened her state? Either way, Naruto didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he merely asked, "So where's this new place you mentioned?"

Placing her index fingers parallel in a chakra-gathering seal, she muttered, "_Byakugan!_" Naruto noted this was the first time she'd done so since her rape. "Over… there," she said, pointing, and latched onto Naruto very tightly, which he took to mean she still very much needed him as a lifeline.

"_That's fine,"_ he told himself, _"It doesn't need to be all at once, just as long as it's happening."_ "Then let's go," he said, pulling her with him, and soon, they arrived at the small restaurant.

"Welcome," said the maitre d', "Seating for two, sir?"

"Yeah," replied Naruto, allowing the man to escort them to their table.

"Helloooo!" said bubbly young waitress soon after they'd sat down, "Are you two on a date?"

"Ah, yeah," said Naruto, a bit puzzled by his own answer.

"And what an attractive couple you make, if I may say so!" she exclaimed, whipping out her order pad, "Are you ready to order?"

"Thank you, and, I'll have the fruit salad, please," Hinata said, eyeing the menu.

"Of course, madam. And for you, sir?" she turned to Naruto.

"Do you have ramen?" he asked.

The waitress gained a confused expression and swiveled her head around, perhaps to see if she were being pranked. Quickly, she resumed her prior demeanor and replied, "Uhm, no, sir, we do not."

"Oh," said Naruto, disappointed, and quickly scanned the menu. "Then I guess I'll have the fried eggs."

"Very good, sir," she said, and hurried up to input their order.

When she'd left earshot, Naruto said, "You know, Hinata, this is technically our first date."

She smiled. "Yes, it is, but it doesn't feel like it, does it?"

"I know what you mean," he said, leaning back. "I mean… even though we've only been together for what, two days, it feels like we've lasted a good long time."

"It's because we're perfect for each other," she reassured him, squeezing his hand.

He grinned. "Yeah, you're right."

A few seconds later, she said with a blush, "Naruto-kun… last night, uhm," her voice became very hushed, "What did you do to me, exactly?"

"Oh, that?" he said, nervously scratching the side of his head, "It's just something-"

"-You picked up, right," she finished, "But… you were _so_ good, I couldn't help but wonder… how many times have you done that?"

Naruto goggled at her. "What? _No!_ No," he said, hands risen in defense. "Our first time was _my_ first time, Hinata… but if you want to know about those things I did… Well, it all started one night when Ero-sennin was smashed off his ass, and he decided to make me his protégé not just in ninjutsu, but as a world-class pervert…" And so he told her, sparing her the specific details, of the eight sexual gates and their powers.

Once he'd finished, Hinata, red-faced as she'd heard the tale, replied, "Wow… so Jiraiya-sama taught you to do those things…?"

"Yeah, I thought they were useless at the time, but clearly, I learned better."

"Indeed, indeed," she muttered. "Oh _wow_," she tilted her head in fond remembrance, "The… the ending, it was… a_ma_zing, Naruto-kun!"

"And you know what the best part is?" he said coolly, "He told me that the effect gets better every time." Hinata blushed even more, so much that Naruto feared blood would come gushing from her ears

Her blush receded with a realization. "But… I'm not a mindless sex slave, so that means-"

"Yeah," said Naruto, glad she'd come to the conclusion he'd reached earlier.

"I… I really love you more than I can describe," she said quietly.

"I know," he replied, and leaned in, giving her a small kiss, "and I love you just as much."

Their food arrived and they ate happily, with Naruto giving a toast to Jiraiya, for his gifts of knowledge and wealth, and to themselves, for the life that would surely follow. Then, as they left, Naruto paid a healthy tip to their waitress, who looked utterly shocked from its sum.

As they exited the building, suddenly, an ANBU unit member landed in front of them, kneeling. "Uzumaki Naruto-san! Hyuga Hinata-san!" he said rapidly, "Urgent message from the Fifth Hokage-sama!"

"Yeah, yeah, spill it out already," Naruto urged.

"Very well." He stood and cleared his throat. "The message reads as follows: 'We've caught him.'"

Naruto's eyes widened as he felt Hinata's palm grow sweaty around his own.

--------------------------------------

Exciting ending, no?

Do ya think I did this sex scene okay? With Jiraiya's flashbacks, it made it long… I tried to do as well as I could for each gate's effect. And if you gathered anything from it about me, yes, it's true. I like big breasts. Sue me.

Anyway, I was so glad to get so many reviews, constructive or just congratulatory, so thank you all, and I hope you continue that pattern with this chapter!


	3. Brand New Day

Holy balls, guys. That was a lot of reviews in a short while. I really appreciate it!

It took me a long time to decide who "he" was… There was a time when I had no idea. I rotated through several ideas. I toyed with the idea that there would be no resolution to his identity, or that it would be an original character, or a pre-established character… I hope you guys can understand my reasons.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Chapter Three: Brand New Day

Naruto blinked a few times as the sentence ran its way through his mind. He'd been caught? The _rapist_ had been caught? The man who'd single-handedly caused Hinata the greatest pain she'd ever suffered had been _caught_? The thought of apprehending him had left Naruto's mind long ago, but faced with this news… what was flooding his senses? Anger? Relief? He wasn't sure.

Realizing he was still staring at the ANBU, Naruto gulped, trying to regain his composure. "Okay. Thanks for the message. You can leave." The ANBU nodded and leapt away. Naruto turned to Hinata and saw her completely hunched over, a posture he'd not seen since she'd first come from the hospital, and to top it all off, she was sweating profusely, her hand clamped around Naruto's. "Hinata…" he said gently, clutching her shoulders and forcing her to look him in the eye, "If you want… you don't need to go."

She shook her head rapidly. "I… I'm not scared," she answered, though her quaking hands betrayed her mind, "I can't be s-s-" she took a deep, calming breath, "Scared. L-let's go." Giving her hand one last squeeze, he led her down the street.

They arrived at the Military Police Force a few minutes later where another ANBU soldier greeted them. "Hello, Naruto-san, Hinata-san. Please, if you come this way, I'll show you the culprit. We haven't interrogated him yet, as we thought you may want to see him first."

"Why did it take so long to capture him?" Naruto asked as they walked down the hall.

"Well, as you heard, Kakashi-sempai's Ninken were sent to find this man, but… there was a bit of trouble."

"What do you mean?"

"They recognized the scent, however… they couldn't comprehend it. They discovered that the scent was actually a mixture of two scents, scents Kakashi-sempai knew from times long past."

"Two scents…?" Naruto asked, confused, "What does that mean?"

"Well," the ANBU said with a sigh as they reached the door, their destination, "Perhaps you'll understand better if I just show you."

As they entered, a slow, eerily familiar voice hissed, "It's been a while… Naruto-kun."

Naruto stopped, eyes wide, in pure shock. Sitting, tied to the chair, sat a mutant – the only fitting way to describe this being – divided directly down the middle into two entities. One side had medium-length, wavy grayish hair, peach skin, and black eyes. The other sported long, straight black hair, ghostly pale skin, and unsettlingly yellow eyes with slits for the pupils.

"What… what are you?" Naruto asked, barely at a whisper. "Are you Kabuto… or Orochimaru?"

The hybrid smiled crazily and answered, "A fair question. My mind, I suppose is that you know as Kabuto, but my body, my strength… it contains the incredible strength of Orochimaru-sama in his prime… though truthfully, it's much more."

"Okay," said Naruto calmly, taking a breath. As a vein throbbed in his forehead, he shouted, "What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?!"

"Nothing," Kabuto answered pleasantly, "I'm perfectly fine."

"You fucking son of a bitch!" Naruto roared. "Why, why would you do that to Hinata of all people? What could you _possibly_ gain from that?"

Sasuke had entered the room at this point. "Naruto, I heard they caught the guy, and – Oh my God," he said, stunned at the appearance of a foe long-thought dead.

"Ahh, Sasuke-kun, good of you to join us!" Kabuto squeaked with a joyful twist of his head. "Well then. Allow me to answer Naruto-kun's question. Why did I hurt that woman over there? Two reasons. First, I wanted to further test my growing power…"

Sasuke's Sharingan activated without his will. "You son of a…"

Naruto was unsurprised: he remembered that that was essentially the same reason Itachi had given for slaughtering the Uchiha clan. "And the second reason," Kabuto continued, "Was pure and simple. I wanted to hurt you, Naruto-kun. I wanted to destroy the most precious thing to you, that girl, to make you feel what it's like to lose your most important thing."

"Let me get this straight," Naruto growled, fists rumbling, "You… you _raped_," he didn't say the word so much as vomited it, "Hinata… just to hurt me?"

"Yes," replied Kabuto, grinning sadistically. "And I daresay it worked."

Naruto turned to Sasuke and said, "I think he's told us everything. His life is worthless now."

"Agreed," said Sasuke, unsheathing his chokutou.

Kabuto began to laugh. "You honestly think I didn't _mean_ to be captured? I have greater power than Orochimaru-sama _ever_ had! The feeble soldiers of this pathetic village could never take me and you two are no different!" With one swift move, he burst from his ropes and plowed through the nearby wall, calling, "I'll be waiting for you, Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun!" and escaped.

Naruto began to give chase, but felt a hand on his jacket. He turned to find Hinata, paler than usual, hands writhing uncontrollably, sweating bullets. "P-p-please," she said, "D-d-don't go."

"Hinata…" Naruto uttered.

"I… I can't let him hurt you," she murmured and then burst into a flood of tears. "I can't stand losing you! If you die, my soul will go with you, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto embraced her tightly, stroking her back gently as she sobbed. "There's something I haven't told you… do you remember when I'd be exhausted every so often at home?"

"Y-yes," she choked out, "I th-th-thought you were just tired from taking care of me."

"Not at all," he said, "Ever since you were hurt by that monster, I've been in training. I'd send tens of thousands of kagebunshin all over the town, to the library, to the dojo, to the various training grounds, and to friends' places. They'd practice, over and over, learning all sorts of things from textbooks and our comrades. I played shogi and learned strategy from Shikamaru. I learned mental focus from Ino. I practiced taijutsu with fuzzy-eyebrows. I learned weapon mastery from Tenten. I learned to use chakra to enhance my senses from Kiba. I learned an incredible amount of jutsu from Kakashi-sensei. I learned all about the ins and outs of being a ninja from the texts… I even learned something special about my father's combat."

Hinata sniffled. "Naruto-kun…"

"The mental strain would exhaust me, but I'd push forward, because I needed to become stronger. I needed to be able to protect you, my friends, and my village." He stared directly into her puffy eyes and told her with his deep, manly voice, his prepubescent voice discarded long ago, "I'm not a child anymore, Hinata. I've grown up; I've become a man capable of defending what's important to me. And even without all that training, I have an unbeatable ace in the hole. Have faith in me."

Hinata was overcome with an odd but wonderful sensation… everything about Naruto was telling her to believe in him. "Okay…Y-you'd better be back soon, or else," she said, wiping her eyes thoroughly.

"I'll be home before dinner," he assured her and turned to his best friend. "Sasuke. Let's get going." Sasuke nodded and they hurried though the hole in the wall towards Kabuto's trail.

Silently, they followed the path through the forest, through trees and over boulders until finally, they reached a clearing where Kabuto, surrounded a multitude of other ninja with large purple ropes wrapped around them, the same twisted smile adorning his mouth. "Welcome, you two! I'm glad you could make it. But my time with you is not quite yet."

"Bastard!" Naruto yelled, charging, "You're going to pay for what you've done!"

Kabuto, however, jumped out of the way, slithering like a snake. "Sorry to disappoint, but you and I have yet to dance. Boys," he said, directing the other ninja, "Go ahead and play with these gentlemen." With that, Kabuto leapt away.

With a sick grin, Kabuto's subordinates began morphing, changing into the easily recognizable curse seal level two, leaving an army of mutants. "Shit…" Naruto muttered. "_Really_ don't want to deal with this."

Sasuke drew his sword. "I'll take care of the small fries. You go after him."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks, Sasuke," he said, and rushed off after Kabuto.

"Small fries?" asked one of the Sound ninja. "You're arrogant, boy."

Activating his Sharingan once more, Sasuke scowled. "Don't you know who I am? I guess it's been a while," he said, and leapt at the monstrosities.

At last, Naruto caught up to Kabuto, alone this time in another clearing. "Hello, Naruto-kun," he said. "It's a shame, really. You're making me kill you all out of order."

"You say you're gonna kill me…" Naruto uttered angrily.

"Don't worry. I'll kill your little girlfriend too, so you'll be united soon enough." Naruto could no longer take it and dove at Kabuto, fist raised. Kabuto blocked and delivered a kick to Naruto's chest. "You see? I've gained incredible power! I far outclass you!"

Naruto stood, brushing himself off. "Okay," he said quietly, "Now I know what I need to do to kick your ass. _Kagebunshin no Jutsu!"_ Several Naruto replicas appeared out of thin air, lunging at Kabuto. Kabuto managed to ward off this attack, but was unprepared when he heard Naruto cry, _"Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)!"_ and teleport next to Kabuto with a knockdown punch. Kabuto lifted himself from the ground slowly, still smiling crazily.

"I didn't know you had learned the Fourth Hokage's _other_ signature jutsu, Naruto-kun," he said, "But don't expect it to work more than once!"

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," Naruto returned and rushed once more at Kabuto. The battle raged on, Kabuto quickly ridding himself of the various clone assaults. They appeared even matched.

"You'll never win, Naruto-kun," said Kabuto, "I still have powers yet!"

Naruto, after a pause, said, "You told me once about your identity crisis, equating it with my own... 'Am I Naruto, or am I the Kyuubi?' you told me. There is no crisis anymore."

"What do you mean?" asked Kabuto, puzzled.

"It doesn't matter," he said. He didn't care about this enemy enough to explain about the Toadkey Jiraiya had given him long ago, and how Naruto had broken his father's seal and fused with the Kyuubi's chakra. Instead, Naruto closed his eyes and focused. When he opened them, his whisker marks were still thin, his teeth still human, and his nails merely that. His eyes, though not red, had become foxy slits. The most significant change was the white light surrounding him. He no longer used the power of the individual tails, fueled by his hatred. Since combining fully with the fox's power he had achieved a special state: It was an odd feeling, considering he'd not used this form in a long time. The chakra was completely inside him, non-damaging, and gave him unbelievable power. His might was enhanced to the point that he could not feel the weight of his own body, and he could lift several times his normal strength, surpassing that of Tsunade. His speed, as a result, was multiplied many times as well. Lastly, his body supplied, as the fox had boasted, an infinite amount of easily controlled chakra.

"What… is this?" Kabuto asked, stunned by the sight.

"Your end," Naruto snarled and leapt at Kabuto once more, punching him into the dirt. Naruto didn't give him time to rise and pummeled him as he lay, then lifted him up, swung him around, and smashed him into a large boulder. Then, as Kabuto leaned shocked against the boulder, Naruto produced three kagebunshin. Together, they laid into him, a fluid, cohesive volley of blows bruising Kabuto's face as his skull smashed against the rock over and over. Naruto released all the rage and frustration he'd built up over the months with this flurry of punches.

"Guh…" said the barely conscious Kabuto.

"Tell me," said Naruto, taking Kabuto's arm, "How does it feel to be this frightened?" He snapped the arm at the elbow, causing Kabuto to scream out in pain. "How does it feel…" he picked up his other arm, "To be this hopeless?" With another crunch, this arm was broken too, and Kabuto shrieked again. "How does it feel to know that I won't stop hurting you no matter what?" he asked, kicking Kabuto's kneecap so hard that it shattered. "And how does it feel to know that death is only a few moments away?" he roared, crushing the other kneecap, sending Kabuto to the floor. "Well?" Naruto said, kicking Kabuto in the ribs, "_Answer me!"_

"M-m-mercy," Kabuto moaned.

"Mercy?" Naruto laughed a bitter laugh. "Do you know what you've done? You could have attacked me, tried to rip me in two, torture me, whatever. That would have been fine. I could have easily dealt with that. But you had to violate, _defile_ a woman so pure she wouldn't want to harm a soul in this world. You are the single worst scum on the face of the earth, and you deserve to die. You want mercy? As far as I'm concerned, you're not a person. You're a snake, just a small, slimy snake who thinks he's bigger than the world. And foxes happen to _eat_ snakes. But I won't kill you," he said, stepping away from Kabuto's limp body. "That would be far too kind. No, your punishment will be infinitely worse."

Naruto produced another clone that approached Kabuto, spinning chakra in his hand. The Rasenshuriken appeared in his palm, but smaller than the one Naruto had unleashed upon Kakuzu that time long ago, as insurance that Kabuto would not die. "Any last words?" the bunshin asked. Kabuto could only look stunned at the swirling ball of pain in the duplicate's hand. "No? All right. Prepare yourself…" he raised the jutsu high in the air. "_Rasenshuriken!"_ he roared, slamming down his hand and creating a tremendous dome of spiraling death.

The original Naruto watched, hearing Kabuto's screams: at first loud, then slowly faded. When it subsided, he jumped towards the bloody body of Kabuto, feeling his neck. Discovering a pulse, he raised himself and said, "How does it feel to know that you are trapped forever in the most painful prison imaginable?" He paused, and then smiled cruelly. "Oh, that's right. My jutsu severed your nerve channels. You can't talk. You can't move, you can't speak, you _can't do_ _anything_. Not a _damned_ thing. Get used to it. That's your life from now on. Not so good to live forever, is it, snake boy?"

His fox form faded, reverting his eyes. Instantly, he felt the fatigue. While it didn't inflict permanent damage, his fox form did strain his body completely, and using a jutsu so complex as the Rasenshuriken with one hand wasn't exactly simple. The control was even more difficult to make it smaller, as he couldn't just unleash his chakra fully. Naruto reached into his tool pouch and pulled out an exploding tag and kunai. Wrapping the former around the latter, he threw the combination into the air, allowing it to violently explode. _"There…" _he thought woozily,_ "Someone'll see that… probably."_

He plopped himself down at the boulder where he'd pummeled Kabuto, just left of the large amount of bloodstains. He sat for hours as his strength faded and as dizziness arrived. Briefly, he wondered if Sasuke would be okay against those curse seal monsters, but assured himself that Sasuke was way too strong to be taken by these guys. The world began to go dark as he heard the voice of his beloved calling, "There he is! Over here!" and he drifted off.

He awoke a short while later, Sasuke, somewhat cutup, next to him. "Wh… Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in the Konoha Military Police Infirmary," Sasuke informed him. "Kabuto is in our hands, and Hinata's about to see him."

"I should go too," Naruto said, getting up, a little unsteadily.

"You sure you can do this?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Naruto answered and made his way out the door and back to the interrogation chamber.

The ANBU outside told him, "Though we know there's no information we can get from him, we figured we'd let Hinata-san get a little closure before we throw him off to prison," and let Naruto inside.

Hinata stood, staring at the inert Kabuto, who was tied to a wall. This was he, this was the man who'd caused everything, and now he lay here, helpless. She knew Naruto had entered, but did not turn to face him. She came near to her rapist, slowly, as his eyes, the only outer thing functional on his body, widened, and raised a fist. Slowly, however, she put it down, and turned away to look at a surprised Naruto. "I… I'm ready, I think," she said. Then, however, she let out a scream of rage and cried, "_Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou (Eight trigrams, sixty-four palms)!"_ whipping around and blasting Kabuto with the full force of her strikes. When she'd finished, she swiveled back to Naruto and said, "Okay. Now I'm ready."

He smiled. "Good… let's go," he said, and, placing his arm round her shoulder, left the precinct.

They stopped by Tsunade's office to inform her of the emergency mission's success. "I think… that's quite the fitting punishment," Tsunade said. "He has inherited Orochimaru's crimes, so we have him on murder of the Third Hokage, murder of the Fourth Kazekage, conspiracy, fraud, attempt to destroy the village, kidnapping, mutilation via illegal experimentation, using forbidden jutsu, and last, but certainly not least, rape. He and Orochimaru tried to lived a life without consequence… Orochimaru had no qualms, for he thought he'd be immortal, and death was no boundary for him. And now, Kabuto will spend the remainder of his days in agonizing pain. His arms and legs will not mend, as there will be no electrical signals to indicate their damage. He will likely be driven insane from the isolation of being unable to act, essentially in a waking coma, and the constant, never yielding pain. Well done, Naruto."

"It was nothing," he replied, shrugging. "Just something I needed to do," he added with a glance at Hinata.

Tsunade smiled. "Nothing, eh? Well, keep it up. You're going to lead the village, after all."

Naruto blushed despite himself. "Thanks… I'm, uh, I'm sorry we couldn't find out if there was anything more to Kabuto… he had some Sound ninja with him."

"It's alright," said Tsunade. "Whatever comes ahead, we'll deal with it. What's important is that you two are okay."

"Thanks, baa-chan," he said, smiling.

"Don't mention it," she said, and made a shooing motion with her hands, "Now get on out of here, it's a brand new day! Enjoy it!"

Not needing another word, Naruto and Hinata raced out of the Hokage building towards the apartment, basking in the warmth of the bright sun. When they arrived in the bedroom, Naruto found a silver envelope wedged between the window and the pane. "Hmm… what's this…" he muttered, inspecting it. Immediately, the words "To Hyuga Hinata," caught his eye. "I think it's for you," he said, handing the letter to her.

As she took the letter, she let out a gasp. "This is- this is one of my family's stylized envelopes!" she cried, tearing it open immediately. Hands shaking, she read aloud, "T-to my dear, w-wonderful child, Hinata. To say I have been unfair would be akin to labeling the ocean as moist: accurate but meaningless. What I have done to you is beyond that, it is inhumane, and for that, I am truly, utterly sorry. There is no amount of apology that can make up for what I have done and as such, I do not expect you to forgive me. I merely wish you understand. When you were hurt, when you were maimed physically and emotionally, I saw your pain and I, though I did not fathom it at the time, saw my own failure… your boyfriend helped me to realize that. I failed, as a father, to protect you, as I have all my life… This, however, was a failure like no other." Hinata began sobbing gently at this point. "Y-you are p-p-precious to me, m-more than you c-c-c-an im-m-magine, and when I saw what had been d-d-done to you… I l-lashed out, doing anything to escape my g-g-guilt, and ended up h-hurting you, when you needed most to be helped. For th-that, once m-m-more, I am s-s-s… I s-s-sorry beyond m-m-measure."

Hinata had begun tearing too heavily to continue, so Naruto gently took the letter and finished. "I want you to know that you are to be let into this home whenever you please. I want you to know that all my powers will be transferred to you when you are ready. I want you to know that you are to have everything I have when it is time. I want you to know these things as a member of this family, as the heiress to this clan, but most importantly, as my beloved, incredible daughter. Love, for all eternity, your father, Hyuga Hiashi."

He dropped the paper and immediately embraced Hinata as she wrapped her arms around his midsection, crying forcefully into his chest. "It's okay," he whispered, patting her gently, "Get it all out."

After a few more minutes of her weeping, it lessened: she no longer groaned, though the tears remained raining down her cheeks. "He… he loved me," she whimpered, astonished, looking into Naruto's adoring gaze. "He _loves_ me."

"He does," Naruto agreed, smiling sweetly, "And why shouldn't he? You're wonderful. Everyone should love you. I certainly do."

"I love you too, Naruto-kun…" she sighed. "He… he said you helped him realize… what did you do?"

"I went down and talked to him," said Naruto. It wasn't a lie, just a mere omittance of the fact that he'd been forced to show Hiashi that his juuken couldn't match Naruto's kagebunshin. "Made sure you got a fair chance."

She squeezed him even tighter. "Oh, Naruto-kun…" she moaned. "You don't realize what you've done for me, have you?"

"What's that?" he asked.

"You… just as you said, you've given me a fair chance… but not just with my father. You helped me when I was in trouble, when everything I had in the world was gone. You helped me settle things within myself today, with that monster. You've given me a new chance at life, Naruto-kun. As Tsunade-sama said, it's a brand new day."

He kissed the top of her head. "I helped you, not merely because I care about you tremendously, but because… you were the one who helped me when I needed it. You stuck by me while others deserted… and for that, I could do nothing other than care for you in your time of need."

"Naruto-kun…" she murmured, wiping the tears from her eyes. Slowly, she raised herself and, with a hand on his chest, pushed Naruto onto the bed and placed herself over him, a leg on each side.

"Hinata?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"I'm going to thank you," she said, undressing him, "the best way I can." She reached the First Hokage's necklace and grasped it gently. "You told me… Tsunade-sama gave this to you because of a bet, and that the second part of her ante was… she would have to acknowledge that you could be Hokage. Naruto-kun, if it's the last thing I do, I will make everyone in this village acknowledge that fact."

"Hinata…" he said again, taking off the necklace and carefully laying it on the table next to the bed. Then, he cupped his rough, callused hands around her cheeks, indulging in soft muliebrity of her texture and kissing her as tenderly yet passionately as possible. "One quick thing to take care of," he said as they kicked off their shoes and sent a horde of kagebunshin out the window to leap across the rooftops. "There… now we can go on."

As they became fully undressed, they picked up the heat, cavorting with each other's tongues. Naruto initiated the first ero-jutsu gate, the now familiar heat radiating off of her body. He reached down her breasts to press the next to points, but found her hands blocking him. "Hinata, what…?" he asked, confused.

"Naruto-kun, I told you, I'm thanking you," she said. "You've done all these great things in my life, but you've also done things to me that make me feel," she looked up in nostalgia, "Well, they make feel things I never thought I could feel before. But it's all been you doing it to me… I know I get the brunt of the pleasure."

"It's not like it's been exactly agonizing for me, you know," he inserted.

"Please… I want to do this for you," she said, rubbing his hands on his chest and heading south.

"Hinata, you really don't-" Suddenly, her hand enveloped his manhood tightly.

"I… I _really_ want to," she said, staring straight into his shocked face, "Please…"

"W-well, I guess if you really, _really_ want to, it would be terrible of me to deny you that, and…" he regained himself and said, "Let's get on with it, then."

She released his member and moved herself back up to him, kissing from his collarbone down, rubbing her hands all over his chest. Naruto decided he wasn't going to just lie there and be worked upon and grabbed her breasts with just the right amount of force to make her cry out in pleasure. "Naruto-kun, I…"

"I have an idea," he said, playing with her nipples while she moaned in ecstasy. "Let's do this… together."

"To… together?" she asked, one eye closed from the delight.

"Together," he reassured her. She nodded and the two proceeded, coming to know their love's entire bodies, inch by inch. Finally, they came to the close, the climax before their climax, the thrusting. Naruto once again cast the protection jutsu, this time remembering Jiraiya's lecture on it.

"_Naruto, this is probably the most important jutsu I will ever teach you. Hell, it will probably the most important one you'll ever learn."_

"_Woah," said Naruto, excited, "What is it? Tell me, come on!"_

"_It is the protection jutsu, a technique of ultimate safety."_

"_Wow," Naruto muttered, "What does it do, like, create a wall of chakra or something?"_

"_No," said Jiraiya._

"_Then what?" Naruto asked impatiently._

"_It protects against all illnesses that occur in sexual intercourse."_

_Naruto's mouth fell open. "… That's it?"_

"_Well, no. It also prevents the lady you're with from getting pregnant."_

_Naruto blinked. "How, exactly, is this the most important jutsu ever?"_

"_Are you telling me you want a lot of little dumb-as-rocks hyperactive blonde brats running around yelling, 'dattebayo!' every few seconds?" _

_Naruto stood silent at Jiraiya's flurry of insults for but a moment. "You know, I'm eventually going to kill you for that," he said plainly._

"_Oh, you're just a kid now, but you'll understand why it's so necessary some day! And it's one hundred percent guaranteed success unless you're a complete and utter moron. Of course, that means you'll be screwed."_

"_Yeah, definitely going to kill you," Naruto grumbled._

"_I'm just messing with you. Come, I'll show you how it's done…"_

Another life lesson from Jiraiya. He hadn't merely taught ninjutsu, Naruto realized, but he'd also taught Naruto to be a man. Silently, he thanked him for it and focused on the purpose of learning said jutsu. He thrust at Hinata, ramming her with all he could until the two of them orgasmed in unison. Hinata certainly hadn't failed in delivering.

She lay on top of him, panting for a few seconds, until she said, "Again?"

Naruto, first surprised, said, "H… hell yeah!" and began again. Over and over the two repeated the cycle of buildup, climax, and afterglow, never hesitating to repeat. At one point as she rested next to him during the final stage, Naruto asked, breathing heavily, "Hey… Hinata… when did we start doing this?"

"A-about three p.m.," she said, respiring just as greatly. She 'd become drenched in sweat and her hair was completely unkempt.

"And… wh… what time is it now?"

She glanced at the clock. "F-five a.m."

"Whoo," he said with a laugh, "We're really, really good at this."

"Yeah."

With a deep breath, he asked, "You ready to quit?"

"No… I could go for one more time."

"Me too. Let's go," he said, and thrust his tongue in her mouth.

In the end, it turned out that they did it three times more, with Naruto finally falling asleep before she. _"Wow,"_ she thought, gazing lovingly at Naruto._" What an incredible day this was… I needed this a lot. And what stamina he has! I don't know if I'll be able to walk correctly for a while… but I didn't know I had it in me, either! In fact, I'm relatively certain I _didn't_ have it in me until now! It must have had something to do with those gate techniques of his… well, I'm glad Jiraiya-sama taught him those. Naruto-kun… He's such an incredible human being."_ With that thought, she too let herself be taken in by sleep's gentle embrace.

A knocking awoke Hinata hours later like a sledgehammer to the brain. "Mzmphx," she babbled into her pillow. Wearily, she turned to look at Naruto, still out cold, and then stepped off the bed, doing her best to tell the visitor that she would be right there. However, all that she ended up saying was, "Mmmkmng." She hoped that by the time she made it to the door, she would regain the use of vowels. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on the perspective), before she reached the door, she realized she was still very much naked. Though she enjoyed this freedom in the company of just Naruto, she did feel extremely uncomfortable undressed with others. And so, slowly working the gears in her brain, she put on her pants and a T-shirt of Naruto's, obviously large on her. But she didn't care; instead she enjoyed the feeling of being in his scent. Finally, she stumbled her way to the door while ignoring the discomfort between her legs, opened it, and muttered, "H'llo?" One vowel. Good start.

Sakura stood in the doorway, brow raised at Hinata's disheveled appearance. "Hello… Hinata… am I… am I interrupting anything?" Hinata did not so much shake her head as she did swing it around limply on her neck. Though not convinced much, she said, "Ah. Good. Well, I'm sorry to wake you, but I wanted to let you that a few of us kunoichi are going to get together later, you know, for a little girl time. Would you like to come?" Briefly, Hinata's brain clicked into full gear as she contemplated this question. Her heart raced with the decision, but finally, she reached it, her brain slowed back down and she gave a weak thumbs-up and a smile. Sakura thought, amused, that she must have gained this habit from being in Naruto's presence so often. "Good! So, I'll see you at, say, sixish, my place?" Hinata nodded. "Okay, see you then!" Sakura said and skipped happily away. Hinata slammed the door shut and trudged back to the bed, undressing once more. She took a glance at the clock: Ten a.m. _"When did ten a.m. become so early?" _she wondered before returning to a near-comatose state.

Meanwhile, Naruto found himself dreaming, walking about in a house that certainly wasn't his. It was much larger than his apartment and with much more furniture. "Where the hell…" he muttered.

"Hello, Naruto," said a voice behind him, causing Naruto to jump.

"Who-" he began, but instantly stopped, stunned. There, right in front of him, was a man Naruto only knew in pictures. A large cloak adorned his shoulders while a forehead protector displayed the Leaf symbol atop his large, spiky yellow hair. He was tall, about as tall as Naruto, with deep blue eyes and his arm around a beautiful, alabaster-skinned woman with flowing red hair. Both smiled widely at Naruto. "D… Dad… Mom…" He uttered, barely able to speak.

"It's good to see you," said Kushina, "It has been a long time."

Naruto could feel himself tearing up. "I… Oh God… I have so many things, so many things I need to-"

"I know," said Minato, his voice reassuring, and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "But first, I want to say… I'm sorry, Naruto."

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Wha… what do you mean?"

"I did all this to you," he said with a sad smile. "I placed this tremendous burden on you…"

"You shouldn't be sorry," Naruto quickly returned.

"Well, I suppose I wouldn't be, if you were satisfied with your life," Minato answered with a squeeze. "Tell me, my son… are you satisfied with your life?"

Naruto looked back on his life and realized something incredible: His life was not a list of failures, something Jiraiya once thought about his own life. He'd saved Neji (avenging Hinata), Sakura (from Gaara), Tsunade (from her greed and depression), Gaara (from Akatsuki, with the help of Chiyo), Ino, Choji, and Kakashi (from Kakuzu, helping to avenge Asuma), and finally, Sasuke (from himself). But in addition to those, he'd saved his own life from suffering, from pain… And now, recently, he'd saved Hinata's life, even if he couldn't protect her from Kabuto's twisted design. She was alive and well, thanks to him. He looked back on the life he'd carved out for himself, eyes closed, and smiled. "Yeah," he said softly, smiling, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but… I really like my life."

Minato smiled, a smile that Naruto had seen reflected in his mirror countless times. "Then good," said Minato. "In that case, I imagine I would do it over."

"You've been a good son," said Kushina. "And you've been a good human being, a good man, especially to dear Hinata-chan…"

"Agreed," said Minato. "I'm glad you got over Sakura-san. With all do respect to her, Hinata-san is infinitely better than she for you."

"You two will be happy forever," Kushina assured him, "So don't worry so much."

"And you know…" Minato said, leaning in to whisper to Naruto, "You're not the only Jiraiya-sensei taught _those_ techniques to, if you know what I mean."

Naruto burst out laughing, "Yep, that sounds like Ero-sennin to me!"

Kushina, suddenly crying, reached over and gave Naruto a tremendous hug, which was soon joined by Minato. "It's almost time for us to go… I love you so much, Naruto."

"Me too, my son," said Minato.

Naruto embraced them back, silently weeping, as if all the tears he'd never cried as a child finally released themselves. "I love you both, mom, dad, so much… will I ever see you again?"

"You will," whispered Kushina, "You'll always have us in your heart. We will always be in front of your eyes."

As he wept, they vanished, leaving Naruto hugging the air for but a few seconds before he awakened. There were tearstains down his eyes, but he felt not sorrow, but closure. He was happy, so happy to be alive and in his life. Hinata lay beside him, facing him, her usual sweet smile on her visage. _"I could get used to this,"_ he thought, _"Waking up next to Hinata's beautiful face… I never want to wake up any other way."_

Suddenly, Hinata stirred and her eyes fluttered open. "Good… morning," she yawned. Her enhanced insightful eyes noticed tracks on Naruto's cheeks. "Naruto-kun… Are you okay?"

"Okay?" Naruto said with a wicked grin. "I'm better than okay." He flipped himself off the bed and lifted her up by the arms, spinning her around. "I'm great. I'm amazing! I'm incredible! I'm the best I've ever been!" He began laughing wildly and she smiled, though bewildered, as he put her down.

"That's wonderful," she cooed. "I'm so happy too, Naruto-kun. I'm happy that you're happy, and I'm happy because you've made me happy, and – mpht!"

Naruto silenced her with a kiss. "I love you," he said. "I love you so much, and I want you to know that with all your being."

"My love for you has never faltered," she replied, holding him at the waist. "It's only grown since I met you." The two stood for a minute, simply holding each other, until Hinata said, "So, uhm, Sakura-chan invited me to a… a get-together with the other kunoichi and I-I was, uhm, thinking of going…"

Naruto, eyes wide, looked down at Hinata. "You… you are?"

"Yes…"

"That's… that's great!" he said, kissing her cheek. "What time do you have to go?"

"Sixish" she said, trying to remember what Sakura had said to her drowsy self.

"Hmm…" he glanced at the clock, "It's three right now, so that leaves us some time to-" A large thunk against Naruto's window punctuated the air. "What the…?" He opened the window and spotted a messenger bird lying dizzy on the sill. Naruto briefly wondered whether he saw little humans spinning 'round his head. He removed the message from the bird's leg and watched, amused, as the tiny avian creature fluttered away, frustrated.

Naruto read the message to Hinata: "To Hyuga Hinata-sama. Please arrive at the main hall of the Hyuga estate as soon as you receive this message."

"Oh my," said Hinata softly.

"I think it's okay," said Naruto, recalling Hiashi's words, "It should be good to go."

Hinata nodded slowly and, after a quick grooming, the two walked towards the buildings that made up the Hyuga land and stopped at the entrance to the largest. "You can do this," Naruto assured Hinata.

"I know," she replied. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the threshold.

Inside the main hall, the room was completely packed. All along the sides, the balconies, and even some of the stairwells, Hyuga family members stood clumped together, every single pupil-less eye facing Hinata and Naruto, leaving a small path in the center to Hiashi, who sat on a throne in the center. Naruto caught a glimpse of Neji very close to Hiashi. Hinata and Naruto made their way to him and Naruto noticed that his eyes were not angry or hateful, but soft. They reached him and he rose from the chair, facing them.

Before either Hinata or Naruto could say anything, Hiashi fell to his knees and bowed deep, his nose coming less than an inch to the ground. "Father…?" Hinata asked meekly.

"Hinata, my dear," said Hiashi, his face rising to look up at Hinata. "I have called you here so that the whole family, main and side branch, can see that I humble myself before your presence. You are beyond value to me, and you cannot imagine how much I have suffered from my own senseless actions. But even so, I know that you have suffered more. Yet here you stand, looking as marvelous as I have known you. That you have recovered to this extent is nothing short of definitive proof that your strength is impressive, your spirit indomitable. And so, yet again, before these men and women, your kin, I rename you my heir, the heir to the entire enormous clan and history that has supported Konoha."

He closed his eyes, awaiting her response. When he opened them, she had knelt down and offered her hand to Hiashi, a smile on her features and tears in her eyes. "Rise, please, father." Hiashi took her palm, and hoisted himself up, a shocked yet pleased look on in his eyes. She hugged him tightly as she could, with not a moment's hesitation before he returned the embrace, liquid having begun its race out of his eyes as well.

The entire room shook with thunderous applause and cheers. "My Hinata… My sweet, precious Hinata," said Hiashi, "Welcome home." Hinata stood arm in arm with her father for seconds until the applause subsided. Then, she released him, and he said, "Now go… go with the man who has treated you better than any other."

She nodded and hurried off with Naruto, who stood smiling, arms folded. Another torrent of cheers followed them out. "I think that went well," said Naruto.

"Mhm," Hinata mumbled wiping the last of the tears from her eyes.

Suddenly, Naruto's stomach rumbled. "Oogh… I forgot, what with all the excitement… we haven't eaten yet, and after… such a exhausting night," he said with a sly grin and a wink. "Whaddya say we go get something to eat at that restaurant again, eh?"

"That sounds good," she said softly, clinging contentedly to Naruto's arm. "That sounds really, really good."

Meanwhile, at the Konoha Hospital, Sasuke was being given a brief checkup by Shizune. Kakashi, having nothing better to do at this time, decided to stick around. "I'm telling you, this is pointless," said Sasuke, "I'm fine. My wounds – minor ones at that – have already healed up."

"Just want to make sure you're in tiptop shape, Sasuke-kun," said Shizune. Holding a small flashlight, she said, "Fights with curse sealed warriors can have bad side effects. Look into the bulb, please."

"Sharingan, or no?"

"Hmm. Tricky. I don't get to inspect an Uchiha very often."

"Wonder why," Sasuke responde dryly.

Ignoring this comment, she proceeded. "Give me regular, then Sharingan." Sasuke obliged. "Okay… you seem to be all good."

"Thanks," said Sasuke, donning his clothing. "I'll see you later, Kakashi."

Kakashi waved, not looking up from his book. As Shizune put away her equipment, she asked, "So, Kakashi-san… do you need something?"

"No, not really," said Kakashi, "I'm just a little bored right now… no new missions, you see. Thought I'd come hang around here, check on how my team member was doing. And it's not so bad to be around you, either."

"Thank you," she said with a light blush.

Kakashi took this opportunity to ponder: _"Naruto and Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura… Hm. Where does that leave me? Maybe I've been out of the game too long. I think… thanks to them, I'm finally ready, mentally, to put myself back on the market. But whom would I go for?" _He glanced at Shizune. _"That could work,"_ he thought. _"She's cute, she's nice, as a medical ninja and the regrettably lazy Hokage-sama's attendant, brilliant. Why not? The question is, would she ever go for me?"_ Of course, doubts never held Kakashi back from anything before. "Hey, Shizune-san. Would you like to go out with me?"

Shizune nearly dropped her scalpel. Such a question hadn't been asked in a long, long time. "Ka… Kakashi-san… what did you say?"

"I'm asking you out," he said plainly. "Or do you not want to go on a date with me?"

"Th-that's not it!" she wailed wildly, "I'm just… are you sure you want to go out with someone like me?"

Kakashi raised his visible brow. "What do you mean?"

"I'm… I'm unattractive, and old, and-"

"Nah," said Kakashi, closing his book. "I think you're pretty cute, actually." Shizune was speechless. "So, when do you get off work?"

"Seven…" she said blankly.

"Okay. I'll pick you up then, and we can catch dinner and a movie."

"Uh-huh…"

"Great. See you then," he said, and left the patient room, leaving Shizune still stunned. _"And a pat on the back for you, old boy,"_ he thought, smiling as he walked.

Later, Guy, dueling Kakashi in yet another absurd contest – coin-flipping – asked, "So, Kakashi, have you any plans for later?"

"Why? Want to go another bout?"

"Just wondering! Can't two friends just talk?"

"Yeah, I suppose," said Kakashi, flipping his coin into the wall and catching it. "I've got a date."

Guy blanched, flipping his coin with such force that it made a small indentation in the brick wall. "You… haven't gone on a date in years."

"I noticed," said Kakashi.

Guy scratched his head awkwardly. "Well… who's the lucky lady?" he asked slowly.

"Hokage-sama's attendant."

"Shizune-chan?" Guy asked, initially shocked, then grinned his shiny grin and made a thumbs-up. "Well! A worthy woman for my rival, and a great exercise of your youth!"

Kakashi chuckled. "Thanks, Guy."

"Don't mention it! Now come, I've yet to best you in this art of coin flipping!" he exclaimed, and began shooting coins from several of his fingers. Kakashi sighed and followed suit.

-----------------

Seven o'clock passed and with it the shifts at the Konoha hospital switched. "Shizune-chan," said Akane, a fellow medic with the shift following Shizune's, "I take it you've got another boring schedule tonight?"

She chuckled. "Is that how you really see me?"

"Well, yeah!" said Akane, "I mean, all you do each night is clean up whatever mess Hokage-sama's made – with all due respect – and-slash-or play with your little piggy."

"Hey! I do plenty besides play with Tonton!" Shizune objected.

"Oh yeah?" Akane raised an eyebrow. "Quickly, in the next ten seconds, name some other place you've been in the last three months – _aside_ from missions."

"Uhm…" Shizune struggled as Akane counted down. At the last second, she cried, "The veterinarian's office!" Akane gave her a dry look. "For… Tonton's… checkup…" she trailed off.

"Uh-huh," said Akane smugly, "That's what I thought."

"Well!" exclaimed Shizune haughtily. "Shows how much you know! I happen to have a _hot date_ tonight!"

Akane's eyes widened to dinner plates. "What? Who the hell would you go out with?"

"Hatake Kakashi," Shizune answered, acquiring the smug attitude.

"… What?" Akane whispered. "Hatake Kakashi-san? _The_ Hatake Kakashi-san? Ultimate technique master of Konoha? Legendary genius ex-ANBU captain? Tsunade-sama's next in line for Hokage if something happens to her?" Akane rambled on, flabbergasted. "Utterly sexy _hunk_ of a shinobi? Are we talking about the same Hatake Kakashi?"

"We are," returned Shizune.

"Habu- bu- you – he – and – but," she babbled.

"Have a good night," said Shizune, self-satisfied, as she turned to leave the hospital and the still stunned Akane.

She left the building and, as promised, there Kakashi was, waiting for her. _"Okay," _she thought, _"Just… tidy yourself up, Shizune… gotta look good for him!" _She groomed herself as best she good and breathed deep. Slowly, she headed toward Kakashi and brightly called, "Kakashi-san! Hello!"

"Ah! Shizune-san!" Kakashi said pleasantly. He looked her up and down and added, "You're looking very nice tonight."

"R-really?" she asked with a blush. He nodded. "Well… Thank you. Let's get going, shall we?" He reached out his hand and she took the offer. As soon as his fingers touched hers, she felt confidence rushing through him. Taking the initiative, she pulled his arm to her and leaned into him. He didn't resist.

The night progressed in a good fashion. They watched the movie, the first of the Icha-Icha trilogy (Shizune surprisingly enjoying it), and headed to dinner. They found themselves having common interests, able to talk about missions, funny incidents with various friends, and the difficulties of life. He generously paid for the dinner and they headed to her apartment.

Outside the door, she looked up to him and said, "I… really had a good time tonight, Kakashi-san."

"Me too, and please, just Kakashi is fine," he said.

"Okay… Kakashi." Meeting his smiling gaze, she found the confidence of earlier rushing through her. Though she was instilled with resolve, she could not help her hands in shaking as she slowly reached for his mask. They quaked more and more as they approached, but Kakashi did not stop her. Finally, she pulled the thin cloth down, revealing the whole of his face, save his Sharingan. She sighed, witnessing that he was ever more handsome with his mask off. His tough, manly jaw coupled with his gentle smile made her ache for him. She moved her lips toward that smile, and to her relief, he neared her too. Finally, their lips met, kissing each other lightly, over and over.

Finally, they parted and Shizune found herself involuntarily moaning afterward. "I take it you liked it?" Kakashi asked with his smile. Her head bobbed up and down. "Well… I'll see you later," he said, and turned to leave.

Shizune, however, grabbed his flak jacket and pulled him back. Boldly, she asked, "Will you… come in, please?" As he smiled at her, agreeing, she opened the door and yanked him in.

They began to undress rapidly, Shizune removing the numerous articles of clothing on Kakashi, including the forehead protector. He kept his left eye closed, but Shizune marveled at his fully visible, handsome face. Gingerly, she traced a hand over his scar before continuing to strip him down. Finally, they were bare-clothed, landing on the bed. Kakashi grinned and thrust his tongue into her mouth. He groped her breasts, average size but firm and supple, teasing the nipples lightly. She moaned at his touch. He sucked one tip, lightly tweaking it with his teeth, and the volume of her voice increased. When he was sufficiently satisfied, he returned to her mouth. Having impeccable chakra control, he directed a tiny stream of chakra to her mouth and she shrieked.

"Wha… what did you just do?" she asked when they parted.

"Just something I picked up," he said slyly. Working as quickly as he could, he burst chakra into the next two gates.

She screamed and writhed at his touch as he ran his hand down her breasts once more, running his fingers down her abdomen and eventually stopping at her entrance. She was breathing heavily as she groaned, "Yes… go!"

He stuck one finger through her labia, thrusting slowly but rapidly gaining momentum as her juices drenched his digits. A second finger joined the action, and soon she was orgasming over and over and finally, she slipped easily into a sex-coma. _"Lightweight,"_ Kakashi thought as he rolled over next to her, gripping her close to him. _"But it makes it more exciting to see what she'll be like with the other gates… My pleasure can come later. For now, I just want to please her."_ He watched her for a while until he too drifted off.

Elsewhere, Sasuke roamed the streets of Konoha, bored out of his skull. Kakashi was out on a date, Sakura was having her kunoichi party, and who knew what Naruto was doing. The thought of his girlfriend brought to mind thoughts of their relationship. They had been dating for almost a year. In fact, their anniversary was only a day away… but unlike Naruto, whose relationship with Hinata had began explosively, Sasuke and Sakura had yet to become truly intimate. Sure, they'd traded tongue-ties, and a rare undershirt moment, but still, Sasuke felt uncomfortable with going the whole way. Sakura was very reasonable, almost unreasonably reasonable about it. Sasuke recalled confiding in Kakashi about it.

"_I dunno, I mean… I guess I feel I don't deserve to do it with her," he told Kakashi._

"_Hmm. I think I know why… but why don't you voice it?" Kakashi replied_

"_It's just… after all I've done to her, to the village, after everything I've put her through, I just don't think I'm worthy enough for her."_

"_You'd be surprised what she thinks," said Kakashi._

Kakashi had just been nice, Sasuke convinced himself… he wondered if he could talk to Naruto, get a second opinion. Decided, he quickly body-flickered his way to Naruto's flat.

Naruto, meanwhile, was playing some shougi with a few kagebunshin. He moved a piece and one of his clones hissed, "Ooh, that's a bad move, a terrible move, you really shouldn't have done that!"

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled back. Suddenly, there was a knocking at his window. He turned to see Sasuke standing there, waving. Naruto got up and opened the window, dryly telling Sasuke, "Couldn't have just come in the door like a normal person, could you?"

"Eh, this way was faster," he replied plainly, edging himself in and closing the window behind him. "So, I take it you're pretty bored."

"And how do you figure that?" asked Naruto, putting away the shougi board and dispersing his jutsu.

"Well, aside from the fact that _you're_ playing _shougi_, I'd say it's because Sakura's having some kind of kunoichi sleepover tonight and Hinata-san's invited. That about right?"

"Yeah," grumbled Naruto. "For the first time in a while, I'm just bored out of my _skull_, you know?"

"I do," said Sasuke, "Which is why I came here. Let's take a walk, shall we?"

"Sure," Naruto sighed, "Gotta be better than just laying around here." Together, they left the apartment and wandered out onto the main streets of Konoha. "So what is it you want to talk about?" Naruto asked.

"Sakura," Sasuke answered immediately.

"Ah, right, how you won't touch her because you're afraid she'll hate you or something."

"It's not that simple!" Sasuke objected. "You know what I've done to her, to you, to this whole village! Are you honestly going to tell me that I deserve to be with her?"

Naruto sighed again. "Do you know what she used to do, before we rescued you? All she would talk about is getting stronger to get you back. She hated that feeling of uselessness… she used to just look at your picture and cry, cry because you took a part of her heart away. Now that she's got it back, do you honestly think she'll reject your advances?"

"I just… I don't know," said Sasuke.

"It's about you, it's always been about you, since way before Team 7 was formed. Sure, it started out as a small crush, but she… she really got to know you and loved you with all her heart. Show her that you love her too, and let her prove her love for you."

Sasuke closed his eyes for but a moment in meditation. Little did Sasuke know that Naruto's amazing ability was being used once more: Sasuke was starting to believe in Naruto's words. "Alright…" he said, "Then tomorrow, on our anniversary, I'll try my best."

"Good for you," said Naruto with a pat on Sasuke's shoulders.

"Now that that's done with," said Sasuke, reaching into his pocket and revealed a sizeable bottle of sake, "How about you and I go out on the town?"

Naruto grinned.

-----------------------------

Well, I'm kinda glad I got the serious part over with, and got to the good stuff quickly. I had a lot more planned for this chapter, but I decided it would make this chapter too long.

Taking the bit with Kakashi was, I believe, a bold move. I figured our favorite scarecrow and awesomest character ever needed some love. Also, I kinda wanted to move the focus away from constant NaruHina, as it has been for the last few chapters. Forgive me for that.

I made a reference to something with this and last chapter's titles. If you can guess what it is, I'll tell you my main account.


	4. Until the Stars Turn Cold

Thank you, as always, for the reviews! I hope this chapter will please you even more! As for spelling mistakes and the like… note, I often write these at four in the morning, so cut me some slack, please.

The offer on the names of chapters two and three is still good. I'll give you a hint, a keyword: Amazing. To those who got it, congrats!

There might be a bit of out of character here, but hey, I've decided to have fun since we've moved past the tragedy. In the words of a rock band, "Fuck it, let's rock."

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Chapter Four: Until the Stars Turn Cold

Naruto and Sasuke ambled down the streets of Konoha as Sasuke tucked the sake bottle back in his pocket. "So, what are we planning here, exactly?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I was thinking we'd go and ask some of the guys to join us, and then we'd all head over to my place."

"Okay. How about we try Shikamaru and Choji? I think I know where they'll be."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"Just a hunch…"

A few minutes later, Naruto and Sasuke arrived at Team Asuma's (They kept the name in Asuma's memory) busual yakiniku place to find the two men of the team in front of a couple of empty plates of beef. "Oi! You two!" Naruto called, causing their heads to turn.

Shikamaru smiled. "Hey Naruto, Sasuke. Whaddya need?"

"You guys look awfully bored."

"Well, Ino's out, and her craziness usually keeps us entertained," explained Choji, "Why, you guys have something planned?"

"Oh, we have something alright," said Sasuke with a smirk, lightly shaking the sake bottle, slightly obscured by his robe. Both Shikamaru and Choji grinned and, after paying the tab, left with Naruto and Sasuke.

"So where to next?" asked Shikamaru as they strolled down the roads.

"Team Guy's next," said Naruto. "Neji'll know where Fuzzy-Eyebrows is."

They reached the Hyuga complex where Neji was practicing the Gentle Fist in the front yard. Byakugan activated, Neji saw them walking and said, "Ah. Good evening, guys."

"Heeey, Neji," said Naruto, "You wouldn't happen to know where Fuzzy-Eyebrows is this time of night, eh?"

"He's out with Guy-sensei…" Neji said suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. He noticed the outline of Sasuke's sake bottle and said, "Are you going to have a drink tonight?"

"Exactly," said Naruto. "So, we were wondering if you and Fuzzy-Eyebrows would join us."

Neji got a brief look of shock and then said in a very hushed voice, "Oh, no-no-no-no-no. You do _not_ want Lee to even _look_ at a drop of alcohol."

"What?" asked Naruto, very confused, "Why not?"

"Let's just say you'd better hope you have high house insurance."

Naruto blinked rapidly a few times. "O… kay. Well, you'll do, then," he said, and Neji nodded. "Alright, boys, now that we've got our platoon…" he grinned a wicked grin, "Let the good times roll." Soon, they were at the large, empty Uchiha complex, walking down the halls of the main house. "Damn, Sasuke," Naruto commented, observing the surroundings, "You've got one huge place. What do you do with all this space?"

"I mainly spend my days rolling coins down the floor, seeing how far I can get them to go before stopping flat," Sasuke replied plainly.

"What, really?"

"No, idiot." Finally, the group stopped at a large room with a small table in the center. Sasuke placed the bottle on the floor, wandered over to a cabinet and began fiddling with the lock.

"Uh, hate to burst your bubble there," said Shikamaru, "But that bottle isn't gonna be enough for all of us."

"Don't worry," said Sasuke, flipping open the cabinet door to reveal several bottles of varying liquors and shot glasses. "I think we have plenty." The four others sat down at the table as Sasuke prepared their drinks. "Keep in mind that we aren't just drinking for the hell of it," he said authoritatively. "We're also drinking to wash away the troubles of the past year or two, as they've been pretty rough, especially for Naruto over here." The Neji, Shikamaru, and Choji nodded in agreement. "So, with that in mind, let's toast." He raised his glass and the others followed suit. "To new beginnings."

"To new beginnings!" came back the resounding cheer.

As they downed their first helping, Naruto said, "Alright, you guys, here's how this is gonna go down. Shikamaru's gonna be the first down because, no offense, but really, you look like a lightweight. Then… it's gonna be Neji because I think Sasuke can outlast him. Finally, it'll be down to Choji, on account of his, er, build."

"And where does that leave you?" Shikamaru asked skeptically.

Naruto smiled smugly. "Me? I can drink you fools under the table _any_ day."

"Sounds like a challenge…" said Neji with a grin.

"I think so," agreed Choji.

"Well," said Sasuke, pouring another round, "Let's see you put your money where your abnormally large mouth is, eh?"

In the end, the night progressed exactly as Naruto predicted. They talked about their lives, their pasts, interesting things that happened on missions, but slowly one by one, they dropped.

"Woof," said Sasuke, placing his glass down, "I'm out. That's it for me." By this point, they'd moved on to vodka. Shikamaru, though using chakra to steady himself, was tilting steadily from left to right. Neji, ironically enough, was having problems with depth perception (accidentally smacking himself in the face several times) and Sasuke leaned back to catch his breath.

Naruto tossed back another shot and slammed down the glass. With a wild sneer, he barked at Choji, "Alright, Choji, it's just down to you and me! Whaddya got, big man, whaddya got?"

"I can go all night, buddy," burped Choji, rosy cheeked.

"Pour us another, Sasuke!" Naruto ordered, jabbing a wobbling finger.

"Alright, alright, hang on," said Sasuke, grasping the bottle. He was forced to turn on the Sharingan to cease the tiny cup's bobbing to an extent and still managed to spill a good amount as he transferred the liquid.

"Okay, you ready Cho… Chojii-chan?" Naruto laughed at his own apparently hilarious joke.

"Any time," said Choji. "One… two… three!"

They lifted their glasses and drained the liquid, finishing at the same time. "Whoo!" Naruto yelped, shaking his head. "That was smoooooth!"

"You bet," said Choji, wiping the remaining drops from his lips.

"Alright, alright, I think we can settle this more quickly," said Neji, smacking himself again. "Each of you… Take half the bottle and drink… whoever lasts longest wins."

"You alright with that, Choji?" Naruto asked cockily.

"Worry about yourself!" retorted Choji. "You look like you're about to faint!"

When half the alcohol was poured into a previously emptied vessel, Shikamaru held up his hand. "Okay… ready… set…" Naruto and Choji stared fiercely into each other's eye. "Go!"

The two began, guzzling the warm fluid, second after second as Shikamaru, Neji, and Sasuke watched intently. Finally, Choji blanched and fell backwards unconscious. Naruto, finishing his drink, whooped, "Yeeeaaaah! I'm the fucking man! I'm the greatest!" and received high-fives from the conscious three. He raised Choji's bottle and agitated it gently. "Huh. Still some left. Oh well, bottoms up!" he announced, cheerfully ingesting the remaining liquid.

"Aw, damn," said Shikamaru, rubbing his temples, "I'm gonna have to carry him home, aren't I?"

"Yep," said Sasuke plainly.

Shikamaru sighed. _"Ninpou… Kagemane no jutsu (Ninja Art, Shadow Possession Technique)."_ His shadow, wavering heavily, eventually managed to connect with Choji's. Struggling, he lifted his best friend and himself up, groaning, "Boy, Ino's gonna have to do some hangover-healing tomorrow… alright, well, see ya guys, we're out."

"Me too," said Neji, tumbling upwards like a bowling pin.

"Cool, you guys, it's been awesome," said Naruto, hiccupping. "Have a good night and try not to vomit on the way home."

"Psh, look who's talking," said Shikamaru. Slowly, he started to exit, with a last wave, taking Choji with him, and soon Neji followed.

Eventually, Naruto and Sasuke finished putting away the bottles and cups, laughing about everything they could think up. "Alright, Sasuke, I'mma head out," said Naruto, turning to leave.

"Hang on, you're way too smashed to find your way out of here," Sasuke interrupted, placing his arm around Naruto. "Lemme help you out."

Naruto opened his mouth to object, but instead put his arm around Sasuke's shoulder as well and said, "Well, okay, just this once." As they walked, they started vaguely belting a song they liked. "Dadadadadadadaaa… wait, how does this part go?" Naruto wondered.

"Like this… daaadadadada…"

"Nono, it goes – urp – it goes high there, remember? Deededeedededeee…"

"Oh, yeah, you're right."

They continued sputtering the melody until both of them, grinning wildly at each other, yelled in unison, "_No boy no cry one two three go!" _They immediately cracked up afterward and finally, they reached the gate.

"Well, this is it, Sasuke," said Naruto, walking across the entrance. "Thanks for this… I really needed it."

"No problem," said Sasuke. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Right," said Naruto with a smile, and began bounding away. Already he could feel his inebriation fading thanks to the Fox, the secret reason for his tolerance, though he was fairly certain at least Shikamaru had figured it out. It kept his system clean of toxins, including alcohol, which resulted in Naruto being simply very sleepy as he went home.

He was very glad to have done this, to see that all their outward appearances could melt away and in the end make it clear that underneath it all, they were men. They were guys, simple and pure. Naruto wondered if Hinata and the rest were having a similar time. _"Nah,"_ he thought, _"No way the girls do anything crazy like us."_

"Sho Hinata," said a thoroughly drunk Ino, "Word on the shtreet izzat you and Naruto are hooked up."

"Is that so…" Hinata murmured tipsily with a hiccup.

"Come aaaaawn!" she groaned while a non-sober Tenten giggled. "Tell ush, whatsh goin' on? You two've had shex, right?" She took another swig of sake.

"Ino, you pig, that's none of your buh… business!" cried Sakura, jabbing a wobbling finger.

"Shh, forehead, thish doeshn't conshern you," Ino mumbled, waving Sakura off. "Anyway, Hinata… shpill."

"Uhm…" said Hinata, fidgeting, "W-well… we have… made love."

"Good for you!" whooped Tenten, giggling.

Sakura rolled her eyes and decided to hell with etiquette. "Yeah, you seemed pretty… spent when I talked to you this morning."

"Indeed," Hinata said quietly. "After all, we had just come from… doing it for a while."

"Oh-hooohh!" uttered Ino. "Now we're gettin' shomewhere! Sho, how long did Naruto lasht, eh?"

"Uhm… Let me see…" Hinata blushed, exacerbating her already rosy cheeks and began to count on her fingers. She reached her last finger on both hands and started over, stopping when she'd once again reached five.

Ino gaped. "Fuh… five _hoursh? _That'sh crashy!"

Hinata shook her head. "Not five, Ino-chan. Fifteen."

All three women goggled at Hinata. Ino took a deep breath. "Okay… I musht be drunker than I thought, 'cause I jusht thought I heard you shay you and Naruto bumped ugliesh for _fifteen hoursh._"

"She did…" said Tenten quietly.

"That'sh… That'sh imposshible, right, Shakura?" asked Ino, turning to her fellow medic. "I'm not jushst too smashed to think, right?" That'sh impossible, right?"

Sakura, dumbfounded as the rest answered, "Uh… Yeah. Yeah, yeah, that's definitely impossible."

"Apparently not…" said Hinata quietly.

"But you can't have gone on _that_ long!" Sakura objected. "You- and he- he must have gotten tired and run out of-" he voice slowed and diminished, "Sta…mi…na…"

The other two realized what Sakura had hit upon. "Hee-hee-heeee…" Ino chuckled dazedly, "Looksh like maybe we shouldn'ta been chashing after Shashuke-kun all along, eh, Shakura? Mebbe we should've gone with dumb ol' Naruto. Sho!" Ino leaned toward Hinata. "Whaddid he do to ya?"

"Ino!" Sakura shrieked. "That's her business, and-"

"Aw, shut it," Ino said, waving Sakura off again. "You're jusht pisshy becaushe Shashuke-kun won't touch you or that freakish massh you call a forehead."

A vein throbbed in Sakura's forehead. Shattering the floor with a monstrous punch, she rumbled, "_Iiiinoooo piiiiig!"_

"Hey, you wanna go, we'll go right now," said Ino confidently. "But keep in mind you jusht broke yer own floor wit yer freak strength."

Sakura's rage deflated as she moaned despairingly, "Oh no…! And I just paid to install the hardwood… ugh, Ino, pass me the sake, would you?" Ino did as Sakura requested and Sakura took a gulp.

Ino laughed again as Sakura suffered from her mistake and turned back to Hinata. "Now. Ash we were shaying… what do you an' Naruto do to each other?"

"Uhm…" Hinata said, pushing her fingers together. "Well, he does this thing, where he-" Suddenly, she remembered what Naruto had told her after he informed her about the eight gates.

"_Listen, 'cause this is very important," said Naruto in a serious tone. "Please, for the love of God, don't tell anyone, no kunoichi, _no one_, about these. I don't want every yahoo who feels inadequate in the sack to seek me out for help."_

"Well, i-it's nothing special," Hinata concluded. "We just love each other very much, you know?"

While Ino raised an eyebrow and Sakura ran her fingers over the hole in her floor with melodramatic remorse, Tenten cooed, "Aww, that's so sweet!"

Hinata smiled. Suddenly, with her dexterity diminished by the alcohol, she dropped her empty sake dish, which fell to the floor with a light clink. "Oops," said, and bent over to pick it up.

Ino, drunker by the second, stared at Hinata as she did so. All three women were surprised at Hinata when she arrived at Sakura's rented apartment. She wore a fishnet shirt and stockings, coupled with a low-cut short-sleeved top and a skirt that, though not overly short, bared a portion of her thighs. Sakura concluded that with Naruto's aid, Hinata's rate of recovery was accelerating beyond anything anyone could ever have predicted. "_Woaaaah!_" Ino gasped, "Those are huge! Those are huge boobs!" Hinata blushed tremendously before Ino had even closed her mouth.

Sakura ripped herself from her gloomy state and snapped, "Ino, what the h- Okay, that's going too far, even for a drunk pig like you!"

"Aww, don't be jealous 'caushe your body's ash flat ash yer forehead," Ino smirked, relishing Sakura's infuriation.

"_I'll kill you!"_ Sakura roared, punching another hole in her floorboard and consequently sending herself into another weeping state.

Ino ignored it this time. "Geez, Hinata, what the hell do you eat?"

"Uhm, n-nothing out of the ordinary…" Hinata replied demurely.

"What kinda diet do you do?" Ino asked.

"N-no, I just try to stay healthy, while h-having moderate amounts of snacks…"

"Hmm…" Ino mumbled, finger on chin. "Maybe I could shtand to eat more at Yakiniku…" Secretly, though she would admit it to no one, Sakura thought the same for herself.

Sensing Hinata was a tad uncomfortable, Tenten interjected, "Uh, so, Sakura, your anniversary with Sasuke's tomorrow, right?"

"Huh?" Sakura's gaze rose from her busted floor. "Oh, yeah! Tomorrow, Sasuke-kun and I will have been together for one whole year!"

"You planning anything?" asked Tenten.

Sakura blushed lightly, emphasizing her already rosied cheeks, staring up dreamily. "Mm… I really want to give Sasuke-kun something special… something that'll make both of us happy."

"Yer gonna drug 'im, aren'tcha?" Ino asked flatly.

"No…" Sakura said, gritting her teeth and balling her fists. "I'm… I'm just going to do something that will make us a lot closer."

As the night wound down, Ino collapsed, dead asleep, and Tenten slung her around her shoulders as she and Hinata got up to leave. "Well… looks like she finally hit her limit," Tenten shrugged. "I'll take her home."

Hinata grinned and the three of them left as Sakura waved and then returned to groaning about her floor and the expense it would take to repair it. "Maybe I can get Yamato-taichou to do it…" she muttered.

Hinata was happy, truly happy as she traveled the streets. She felt herself skipping a little, gliding along in her slightly intoxicated state. The night had gone well and she felt it a huge accomplishment. Though she missed him terribly, she was able to leave Naruto, if only for a short while. Her life, for once ever since Kabuto's cruelty, was finally starting to branch back out. Eventually, she arrived back at the apartment and, stepping into the dark bedroom, began to undress.

"Naruto-kun," she whispered, placing her hand on the bed, "Are you awake?"

"Ungh…" the sleeping Naruto muttered with an involuntary snort, "Ah… I love you too, Hinata…"

Her heart swelled and she smiled, sliding into the bed with him and covering both of them with the blanket. "I love you too," she whispered into his ear, mashing her breasts against his back and smiling as a pleased moan escaped his lips. She wrapped her arms around him, running her hands on his warm, muscular chest and dropped into a deep, deep sleep.

Naruto awoke hours later with a yawn and a stretch. _"No hangover,"_ he thought, pleased. _"Bet it's not the same for the guys. Thanks, Fox."_ A delicious scent reached his nostrils. _"Pancakes? But who would be…"_ Suddenly, he noticed that there was no one next to him on the bed. Raising an eyebrow, he wandered through his bedroom's doorway to find Hinata, wearing an apron and standing over the stove with a pan in her hand, flipping what Naruto guessed what the origin of the pleasing smell. "Hinata…" he muttered, and she turned to face him, beaming radiantly. "You're… cooking?"

"Good morning to you too, Naruto-kun!" she exclaimed cheerfully, reaching over to kiss him.

"G'morning, but…" Naruto scratched his head, "I didn't know you could cook."

"Well, back when father and the servants would focus on Hanabi-chan, Neji-niisan used to cook for me, but when he went into more intense training…" Her expression faded slightly. "I had to either learn, eat something potentially poisonous or starve."

"Well," said Naruto, giving her shoulders a little squeeze, "It smells great. And I love you."

"I love you too," she replied, grasping one hand and pressing her to her cheek.

On the other side of the village, Kakashi, eyes still closed, awoke to the feeling of a small weight on his chest and the sensation of a tongue running over his face. _"Hmm. Didn't know Shizune was into that. Feels kinda nice, though," _he thought. Just then, he heard a soft "Bueh!" come from the being to whom the tongue in question belonged. _"'Bueh'?"_ Kakashi's right eye crept open. "Oh, good morning, Tonton," Kakashi said to the small pig on his chest.

"Bueh!" squeaked the pig.

"Oh, I'm quite fine, thank you for asking," he responded, as though it were completely normal to engage in a palaver with a pig. "How about you?"

"Bueh!"

"About the same, huh. I don't suppose you could tell me where your owner is, could you?"

"Bueh, bueh-bueh!"

"So you don't know. Well, I'll just search around myself." He rose from prone position, Tonton bouncing away as he did so. Concentrating, he gathered chakra to his nose and sought the sweet aroma of the woman with whom he'd spent the last night.

The trail led him to the bathroom where Shizune, fully dressed, had apparently finished brushing her teeth. "Ah! Kakashi-san!" she cried happily, wiping her mouth. "Good morning!"

"Good morning," he repeated back to her with a wave. _"Boy, she looks better than I've ever seen her." _He thought. _"Hmm. I wonder… should I pat myself on the back?"_

"Well, I'd really love to stay with you, but Tsunade-sama wants me really early and I'm already late," she said, walking from the bathroom to the front door with Kakashi following. She paused as she opened the door and turned to Kakashi, blushing lightly with a demure smile on her face. "I… really had a great time last night, Kakashi-san… and I'd really like to do it again sometime. What do you think?'

Kakashi smiled back, pleased. "I'd like that very much, Shizune-san. I'll contact you."

She gave one last smile and stepped out, calling, "Come, Tonton!" The pig oinked brightly, trotting happily after her as she shut the door.

Kakashi, satisfied with this development, began reaching for his clothes. _"I wonder how my teammates are doing."_

Over at the Uchiha complex, Sasuke wandered to the gates, where he'd promised he would meet Sakura for their anniversary date. _"Oogh,"_ he thought, rubbing his temples. _"Orochimaru's White Snake power heals a lot, but it can't stop this crazy hangover. Least I didn't vomit."_

"Sasuke-kuuun!" Sakura called brightly, hurrying over to him. Sasuke tried to reduce his wincing from the pitch and resonance of her voice as best as he could.

"Hey, sweetie," he said, giving her a quick kiss. "Do you mind if you could help me out with this… "headache"… of mine?"

"Oh! Sure!" she said, and her and glowed blue as she applied her palm to his forehead. In an instant, he sighed in relief.

"Thanks," he said with a grin.

"Of course," she replied sweetly. "So what are we going to do for our anniversary?"

"Well, first off, I'd like to give you _this_," he said and whipped out, from his ninja pouch, a small pendant: a silver snake with ruby eyes coiled around a gemmed cherry blossom with an emerald center.

"My… God…" Sakura breathed, taking the gem gently in her hands, "It… it's so beautiful, Sasuke-kun!"

"Custom-made," Sasuke informed her, "Only the best for you."

She nodded and kissed him, keeping her lips pressed to his for an extended moment, but noticed a faraway look in his eyes when they parted. She tried to ignore it, and took his hand to continue their date.

At the Hokage building, Shizune hastily stepped into the main office, carrying Tonton. "Sorry I'm late!" she anxiously called.

"Don't worry about it," said Tsunade nonchalantly, not looking up from her paperwork. "You're always earlier than I otherwise, and I've been awake for a few hours anyway."

"What? Why?"

"Oh… I just had a bad dream, that's all. Couldn't get back to sleep." She glanced at the photo of Jiraiya on her desk.

"I see…" Shizune muttered. "Well! Now that I'm here, we can get this lousy paperwork out of the way!"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "What the hell's got you so happy?"

"Oh!" Shizune blushed a bit. "N-nothing…"

Tsunade, unconvinced, let her observational skills as the most skilled medic in history kick in. "Hmm. Let's see… eyes drooped because of lack of sleep, but you're still awake because of an endorphin surge…"

"I-I had some good coffee!" Shizune protested.

"From your appearance, you only had time this morning to do some basic things and neglected to, say, wash your bed head." Shizune desperately tried to hand-brush her hair into a finer state. "That means that whatever put you to sleep knocked you out _good._ And let's not forget the lovely fact that you're _wearing the same thing you did when you left here yesterday._" Shizune had no comeback for that. "Oh my God," Tsunade chuckled, "You had _sex_ last night!"

"I- that is-"

"Little Shizune finally got laid! I can't believe it. You're all grown up now! Did he know it was your first? Who was it, anyway?"

Beet red, she quietly told her, "… Hatake Kakashi-san…"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and then burst out laughing. "_You_? And _Kakashi?_ No way."

"Why does everyone find this so hard to believe?" Shizune cried indignantly.

"Why? For starters," said Tsunade, waving her finger commandingly, "anyone who knows Kakashi knows that he hasn't gone on a date in over… oh, I dunno, almost a decade or so. And secondly, _you_ haven't had an actual date in God knows how many years."

"I know…" Shizune replied, ashamed.

"Plus, he's very easygoing while you freak out over every little thing."

"I do not!" Shizune objected.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Huh. I guess you're right." She turned to her desk and said, "Oh, and I forgot to tell you, I blew our savings last night on booze and gambling."

Shizune's eyes and mouth flew open as she shrieked, "Kyaaah!" dropped Tonton, and shrieked again, struggling to catch the frightened pig. When she and her pet had calmed down, Shizune looked at the extremely smug Tsunade. "You, ah… you didn't blow our savings, didn't you." Tsunade shook her head slowly. "Okay, so maybe I'm a little high-strung, but only when it comes to you! With Kakashi s- that is, Kakashi…" she looked off dreamily.

"Well, at least you got a good man," Tsunade said kindly. "How was it?"

Shizune blinked, snapping out of her reverie. "Excuse me?"

"Come on! Gimme all the juicy details!" Tsunade urged eagerly.

"What're you, sixteen years old?" Shizune asked in disbelief.

"Seventeen," said Tsunade drly. "Now tell me or I'll give you old, angry patients for your shift!"

"Fine, fine, even though that's a bit underhanded. To be honest…" she blushed lightly, "It was fantastic."

"Uh-huh, _now_ we're getting somewhere!" Tsunade said excitedly. "How did he feel?"

Shizune was confused for a moment, but realized Tsunade's meaning with a tremendous flow of blood to her cheeks. "He… well, even though he did make me, um, 'finish' really well… he didn't _actually-_"

"Penetrate you?" Tsunade finished.

"Must you always be so crass?" Shizune questioned.

"How is that crass? That's about the gentlest I could put it!"

"Well, _yes_, that _is_ what I meant…"

Tsunade's expression became blank. "So… you're still a virgin."

"Yes…" Shizune responded, face full of shame.

"Okay. You tell Kakashi to do the job right or you won't give 'im any! Use your womanly power! Haven't I taught you anything?"

"I suppose so," she muttered.

Suddenly, a thought struck Tsunade. "Wait. Did he do this thing where he inserted a small stream of chakra with his mouth and fingers?"

Shizune thought for a moment. "Er, yes, why do you ask?"

"Jiraiya, you old pervert," Tsunade grumbled.

-------------------------------

It was, Sasuke had to admit, quite the wonderful anniversary day. They took a walk in the flower park, swam at one of the lakes, saw a movie (her pick, not his), went dancing, and ate at the finest restaurant in Konoha. They returned to the Uchiha complex, to Sasuke's bedroom ("My place's floor has… a blemish," she explained nervously).

"Today… was completely _wonderful,_ Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as they sat on his head, holding hands.

"I'm glad," he replied with a smile. They soon began to kiss passionately, and it wasn't long before Sakura wanted to move further, taking her top's zipper in hand. But Sasuke grasped it, telling her, "No. Not now."

"Oh…" she said disappointedly. "I… that's fine." Together, they sat awkwardly on the bed, not facing each other. "N… Nothing has changed, has it?" she whimpered. "In all these years… you still can't let me in."

"Sakura…"

Thin, slowly widening streams of tears were running down her cheeks now. "I-I-I know I'm not as c-c-curvy as some of the other girls…" she remembered the drunken Ino's words. "M-m-maybe I'm just not strong enough, or whatever… but I love you. I w-want you to know that I love you so much, infinitely, unconditionally… even if you don't love me, even if you _never_ loved me."

Sasuke breathed deeply, in and out, and closed his eyes. With a remorseful scowl, he opened them, revealing the Sharingan. "Sakura… here is what I want for us," he uttered softly. The three tomoe spun and Sakura's eyes glazed over.

In her mind, she saw herself in a beautiful field, with the sun shining and a cool breeze flowing through herself. "Where…?" she muttered, wiping the tearstains from her face. Suddenly, she noticed that in the distance sat her and Sasuke on a picnic blanket. They had matured past teenage years and now had the looks of young adults, truly enjoying themselves on their outing.

The scene flipped and suddenly, they were in front of the gate to the Uchiha household, where Sasuke had knelt down, a tiny open box in his hand. The Sakura in her mind shrieked in joy at the box and practically tackled Sasuke in an embrace.

Once more the view changed. Now Sakura saw the image of her and Sasuke in a building, in front of an altar. She wore a gorgeous white gown while Sasuke was clad in a fancy tuxedo. The man at the altar spoke and as he finished, Sakura and Sasuke kissed passionately.

Then, they were in the hospital, Sakura lying on a bed, struggling in pain with an engorged belly while Sasuke held her hand tightly. A tiny, crying, dark-haired baby was placed in her arms while the two parents smiled in pride.

They switched to the main building of the Uchiha land's steps. Sakura and Sasuke, older still, watched a few children running around and playing "ninja," pink hair and green eyes mixed in with the dark features.

The porch remained, but now, Sasuke and Sakura had now significantly aged, lines on their faces, their hair graying. They marveled at their children's exploits and their grandchildren's developments. Slowly, they fell asleep on each other's shoulders and the scene finally faded.

Sakura was brought back to reality, gazing at Sasuke, eyes black who had two single-tear lines down his face. "I really, _really_ love you, Sakura, with every part of my soul. The way you are, the way you've been for me… it's incredible. But after all I've done to you, all that I denied you… I never thought I deserved you."

"Sasuke-kun," she said, putting a hand to her cheek, "You're forgiven. You always have been. All I need… is you." She leaned in to kiss him. "Now all I want," she whispered, "is for you to make me a woman." They joined mouths once more, kissing with increasing fervor until suddenly, Sasuke activated the Sharingan once more. "Wha…?" Sakura asked, but Sasuke put a finger to her lips.

"Just relax," he said calmly. The mirror-wheel eye spun again, and suddenly, she felt extreme pleasure all around her body.

"G-genjutsu used for pleasure?" she gasped, while Sasuke began undressing her. "I've never heard of such a thing…"

"The Sharingan is a powerful thing, Sakura," said Sasuke, kissing down her neckline. "Who says it all needs to be for combat?"

---------------------

"So, things have been pretty good as of late," Kakashi told the War Memorial with Obito's name inscribed upon it. "We cleaned up Akatsuki pretty well, even though it cost Jiraiya-sama his life. I haven't had to use your eye's full power, so I haven't been paralyzed in the hospital… My adorable students – well, I guess they're not technically my students anymore, and I they're not really adorable, although they kind of are, I mean in that way that, er – anyway, they're doing well too, falling in love and whatnot. And even I went on a date. Yeah, me. Pretty unbelievable, isn't it? Just felt right, you know? I think you'd like her. She's a great girl; smart, beautiful, funny, she's-"

"Kakashi?" called a familiar voice behind him.

He turned to see Shizune walking toward him and the war memorial. "Ah! Just the fine woman I was talking about. What're you doing here, pretty lady?" he asked with a smile.

"I could ask you the same," she replied.

"Oh, you know. Talking to an old friend."

"Obito?"

"Mm."

"Well… I'm here to talk to someone too."

"Dan?"

"Yes."

"Well, if you'd like me to leave," he said, taking a step back.

"No, no, it's okay." Her hand caught his, pulling him back to the memorial. "I… I think I'd like you to be here." He nodded, placing his arm around her. With a slow intake of breath, she began. "Hi, uncle Dan. I've been meaning to talk to you, but you know Tsunade-sama; making me clean up after her messes… but I love the work, I really do. And speaking of work, I've actually found something to do besides that." She put her arm around Kakashi's waist. "This… is Kakashi, my new boyfriend," she looked into his eye, "Right?" He nodded lovingly. "Right, this is he… I think you'd approve of him. I mean, hell, everyone in the village does. In fact, Tsunade-sama considers him her replacement in case of an emergency for Hokage, which…" her eyes misted up, "which I know was your dream." Sniffling, she choked out, "Well, it's been great to see you, uncle Dan. I'll see you later… I love you." Kakashi pulled her close and she sobbed into his chest. "I'm sorry, Kakashi, a shinobi like me shouldn't cry after all this time…"

"No, no," he said gently, patting her head softly, "Obito used to cry all the time – and I mean _all the time_ – and he was one of the finest ninja I've ever known."

Shizune sniffed. "Thank you, Kakashi."

"Of course." Just then, he spotted a book in her bag, a very, _very_ familiar book. "Hey… are you… are _you_ reading _Icha-Icha Paradise_?"

She blushed. "Uh, I… yes…?"

He beamed at her. "That's wonderful."

"Well… thank you," she said, cheering up. "To be honest, I never thought of reading them before. I knew Jiraiya-sama had written them, and, with all due respect to him, that told me what kind of books they were. But ever since yesterday, I decided to check them out, and… I have to admit; I really, really like them! I've gotten about halfway of the through since this morning."

"That far already, eh?" Kakashi said with a seldom-seen sort of grin. "Do – do you remember when the main character went to that island-"

"Yes! And he met that _woman_!"

"Right, and then there was that part where he said-"

"'Sorry, babe, I've got a ride to catch!" they cried in unison, then broke out laughing.

"That line was so _deep_!" Shizune breathed.

"I know!" Kakashi agreed eagerly. Kakashi tossed his head backward; hand on his forehead protector, exhilarated. "Oh, you are _so_ the woman for me!"

"I hope so," Shizune quietly murmured.

"You know, I can't believe I'm saying this so soon," Kakashi said, taking Shizune's hands in his, "But I love you, Shizune. I really do."

"Kakashi," she whispered, "I… I love you too." No longer hesitant, she yanked down his mask and kissed him passionately.

He kissed back and asked, "So when do you want to do something?"

"Now," she said huskily. "And please…" she recalled her master's words from earlier, "Let's do it properly, this time?"

Kakashi smiled his usual, charming smile. "What kind of gentleman would I be to deny my lady such a request?"

-------------------------------------

"One month?" Tsunade repeated the next day.

"Yes," said Naruto, "Just one month, that's all I need." He recalled the events from the morning, which had lead to this conversation.

"_Hinata, you know what I was thinking?" Naruto asked as they lay together in bed._

"_What's that?"_

"_I was thinking… maybe we should go back to our teams."_

"_You mean… come out of retirement?" she asked meekly._

"_Yeah. We can go back to doing missions and stuff. Don't worry, we'll still see each other plenty."_

"_It's not that…"_

"_And I want you to know that I'll always be there to protect you. I'll give you this _Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) _kunai, so that if you ever need me, I'll instantly be at your side."_

"_I want to be stronger," she said suddenly._

"_Huh?"_

"_I… I want to become better, so that I can protect myself and, if need be, you and everyone else important to me."_

_Naruto grinned. "Alright… I understand if you want to train some."_

"_Not just that," she said, "I want _you _to train me."_

_Blinking, Naruto asked, "What?"_

"_You're the strongest person I know, body and soul. I can't think of anyone better."_

_Naruto took on a solemn expression. "I need you to understand, I was trained by the two greatest and harshest teachers Konoha has ever seen: Kakashi-sensei and Ero-sennin. If you want me to teach you, you'll have to acknowledge that I'll be even stricter on you."_

"_I know," she replied immediately. "I wouldn't have it any other way."_

"_Good," said Naruto, satisfied. "Then I promise you that in one month, I'll turn you into an S-class kunoichi."_

_Her eyes widened. "Really?"_

"_I promise. And I never go back on my word!"_

"Okay. So I'll put you and Hinata back into Team Kakashi and Team Kurenai respectively after one month," Tsunade decided, drawing up the paperwork. "Are you sure you can live up to your promise? Can you really train Hinata to such an extent in that short a time?"

"Hey, Ero-sennin managed to turn a failure like me into what I am now in two and a half years, and Hinata's way smarter than I am," Naruto said confidently.

"Good, good," said Tsunade. "Now get out of here! Time's a-wastin'!"

"Yes ma'm!" he saluted, and dispelled his bunshin.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata finished their reps of vertical, one-handed pushups. Naruto felt the knowledge his doppelganger had gathered flow into him. "Ah. Then we're all ready," he said, flipping off of his hand and landing nimbly. Hinata did the same. "Okay, Hinata, if we're gonna do this, we have to do it right. If you don't come at me like you're trying to kill me, you'll never be able to succeed. Can you do that?" He saw her hesitate. "Hinata. Look at me."

Her gaze shifted to meet his. _"Byakugan!"_ she bellowed.

He grinned. "Good. Get ready." His hands formed their cross. "_Tajuu Kagebunshin no Jutsu!"_ Countless Naruto duplicates rushed at her and she assumed her Gentle Fist stance, blasting each clone as quickly as she could. One seized her arms and flipped her, softly but sternly scolding, "You have to be _faster_."

As she fell, she twisted in midair, spinning and roaring, "_Kaiten!"_ The dome of chakra emerged, knocking back several _bunshin._ She fought, on and on, but the army never seemed to diminish.

"As of now, I know your every move," he said, using the battle data he'd accrued from his copies. "I'll work to exploit every weakness. You need to work around that." His voice came from different directions. "Forget what you've been taught, what's engraved in your bones. Break free of the bindings of tradition, what you've been told you have to know, and crush what's in your path until you've made your own way. Evolve."

"I… can't…" she panted, fighting on and on.

"Yes you can. Long ago, you made up your own move, I remember, something very powerful but specific to _you_. I know from that that you can become stronger than Neji, stronger than your father, stronger than every Hyuga before you. Stop thinking. Just fight."

Once again, she found herself believing in his words. She let her body act on its own, letting her movements flow like a graceful dance, one long, connected movement.

"That's it…" he urged, "Use the anger, the suffering, _every_ injustice that's been done to you and hone it into a weapon! Steel must first be blasted in the most searing infernos and hammered roughly before it is ready for combat. But once it's been formed, it becomes a deadly, battle-ready blade. _You_ are the steel. _You_ have been scorched and pounded. _You_ can, you _will_ become that blade!" Her body dragged on though her energy had been depleted. She let out a roar of resolve; thrusting everything she had into her attacks until finally, she'd fully exhausted herself. He dispelled the jutsu, catching her falling body and cradling it tightly.

"Naruto-kun…" she smiled sweetly up at him. "I… I can feel myself… becoming stronger…"

"And it's only been one day," he replied, matching her smile. "We've got thirty left."

"I… I want to do more," she said, "I want to keep going!"

Naruto recalled his and Jiraiya's search for Tsunade so many years ago. "A wise man once told me that play is as important as work. Let's rest now, then we'll get right back to this. How's that sound?"

"It sounds… good," she whispered, falling asleep in his arms. Gently, he picked her up and walked back to their apartment, where he laid her on the bed and tucked her in.

It was then that he breathed a sigh of relief. "She did it," he muttered, "She totally did it." "_Thirty more days of this?"_ he thought,_ "This is going to be fun."_

----------------------

Sakura and Sasuke, meanwhile, walked down the roads of Konoha to partake of a late lunch. Latched onto Sasuke's arm, Sakura cooed, "Oh, Sasuke-kuuun, last night was amazing! I _really_ needed that."

"Hey, wasn't too bad for me, either," replied Sasuke with a cocky grin. "I love you, you know that?"

"I do!" she squealed back cheerfully, "And I love you too!"

As they entered the restaurant, a bubbly waitress greeted them. "Ooh, another cute couple!" she yelped, "We've been getting a few of those, lately!"

"Two, please," said Sasuke.

"Certainly!" said the waitress, and led them to a table.

They sat down and the waitress took their drinks, after which Sakura and Sasuke began to chat. Suddenly, a voice behind them said, "… Sasuke?"

The two turned, and Sakura, spotting two familiar forms, responded, "Kakashi-sensei? Shizune-sempai?"

"Thought it might be you two," said Kakashi, pleased, "although I'm not sure I could confuse that combination of pink and black hair with anyone else."

"Hi, you guys!" Shizune called, smiling. "Sakura, I must say, you look great!"

"You too!" Sakura replied in the same fashion.

Suddenly, the same thought struck both women. "We'll be right back," they said together and rushed off to the restroom.

Little did they know, however, that the same had happened to both men. "So," said Kakashi, "You and Sakura finally did it, eh?"

"Yep," said Sasuke, "And you and Shizune had some fun too, I take it?"

"Uh-huh." They talked a bit more about each of their nights of passion, until Kakashi asked, "Genjutsu, huh?"

"Mhm. Effective, I'd say."

"I can see. I didn't even think about its practical uses… You know, that gives me an idea…"

"Huh?"

"It's nothing," Kakashi said pensively as Shizune and Sakura returned from the lavatory, "Nothing at all."

---------------------

Hinata awoke from her nap with a few heavy blinks as Naruto was dressing. He smiled to her. "Ready to start up again, Hinata?"

Her muscles ached from the earlier training, but nevertheless, she answered, "Yes. I am."

"Good," he said, offering her his hand, "Then let's get going." Once they returned to the training ground, Naruto produced several hundred clones and said, "Alright, Hinata. Over the month, I'm going to be tougher and tougher on you, little by little." Hinata nodded. "Here we go." The army descended upon her and, despite her body's pain, she defended herself from the barrage. _"She's doing well," _Naruto thought, _"But I can see the strain on her body from the constant combat. It's going to start slowing her down."_

Hinata noticed it as well. Slowly, it became harder and harder to move at her optimal speed. _"Doesn't matter,"_ she decided. _"Fight on, push through the pain."_ Blow after blow, spin after spin, even as her lungs felt as though they were in flame, she forced herself to continue. Finally, however, her legs gave out, folding underneath her. She struggled to get up over and over, wheezing from exhaustion. "I… I can still fight," she gasped and flipped herself onto her hands, using her limp legs as makeshift flails to attack Naruto's remaining bunshin. Suddenly, she felt her body scooped up by a gentle pair of arms.

"I know you can keep fighting," Naruto whispered into her ear as she panted, "And there will come a time where you will. But for now… let's just relax, okay? No need to rush."

She nodded, clutching his jacket. "Thank you," she murmured, "for everything."

He kissed her. "It's the least I could do," he said, and carried her back home for the second time.

----------------------

"'He gazed into her eyes and said, "If ever you reach out to grasp my hand, you can be sure that it will be there to carry you," and bounded away, into the deep, mournful night,'" Kakashi read from _Icha-Icha Paradise_ at his apartment, Shizune in his arms.

"Wow," she said, "That was an amazing chapter, Kakashi."

"Yeah. Jiraiya-Sama sure could write," he said, closing the book and laying it on the table next to him.

"So," she said unabashed, wrapping her arms around his neck, "What do you suppose we do now?"

"I think you have an idea already," he said smoothly.

"I do," she said, and eagerly pulled his mask down with her teeth. As soon as it had crossed his jawline, she began kissing him vigorously. "Oh, Kakashi, whatever you did to me last night, it was _amazing_!"

"I've got something even better planned for tonight," he said with an excited grin. They quickly undressed and Kakashi began his work. The night before, he had reached the seventh gate, not wanting to risk the eighth, and had finally taken her virginity. _"Now, I'm not an Uchiha, so this I might not be able to do this like Sasuke can,"_ he thought, _"But I think it'll be quite effective."_ "Shizune," he said quietly, "Look at me."

"O… Okay," she said breathily and established eye contact. As she matched his gaze, his Sharingan spun and she felt a strange sensation all over her body; like a buzzing, but making ever part of her vibrate with intense pleasure. "Kakashi… what… what is this?"

"Something a friend inspired me to do. It's about to get a lot better, though," he said, and put his mouth on hers, activating the first gate with ease. She moaned into his mouth and rapidly, he activated gate after gate until he reached the penultimate one at last. _"… I can't do it yet, not in good conscience,"_ he said, and settled for thrusting inside her until she was hoarse from screaming in orgasm.

Kakashi, not one for intense expression, had climaxed more silently, but just as effectively. She laid herself by him and he whispered to her, "When you wake up, we'll find out what happens to the blonde beauty."

"I… can't wait," she croaked, and promptly nodded off.

"Boy, am I good at what I do," he muttered, and, with an arm around his lover, dropped off to sleep as well.

-----------------------

"So how goes the training?" Tsunade asked one of Naruto's kagebunshin.

"It's great. She's coming along extremely well." He grinned. "There's no doubt in my mind she'll surpass Neji.

Tsunade smiled. "Very well. I'm impressed. But one more thing before you go…"

"Yeah?"

Softly, she asked, "Have you used the Eight Celestial Pleasure Gates on Hinata?"

Naruto blinked rapidly. "How… do you know about those?"

"How do you think?" she asked flatly.

"Ero-sennin told you?"

"A long time ago."

"Why?"

She blushed, and hastily replied, "H-he was a pervert, r-remember? Why _wouldn't_ he do something like that?"

With bated breath she waited for Naruto to respond. Finally, convinced, he said, "Sounds right to me." She breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that all?"

"Y-yes," she said, "And, uh, good for you. Dismissed!"

She watched the bunshin disperse and fell into deep recollection regarding when Jiraiya had disclosed that information

"_Sorry, but no thanks!" roared a young Tsunade as she walked away from an equally aged Jiraiya._

"_Come ooooon, Tsunade-hime! I'll make it worth your while!" he begged, chasing after her._

"_For the last time, no, Jiraiya!"_

"_Really? Not even _one _date?" he asked, incredulous, "I'd show you, I can do… incredible things with these fingers of mine,"_ _he added with a sly grin._

_For some unknown reason, Tsunade stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" she asked, skeptical._

"_Oh yeah. Women swoon and writhe at my touch!" He began to pose. "I'm the ultimate sexual beast, the great toad pervert of-"_

"_Yeah, yeah, the pervert bit," Tsunade cut him off. "I'll tell you what… I'll let you show me what you can do."_

_Jiraiya's eyes bugged out. "What, really?"_

_She blushed. "Y-yes," and quickly added, "But only to prove that you're nothing but an arrogant jackass! I bet you're all talk!"_

"_Is that so…" he said coolly. "Then let's find a place to do this, shall we?" They wandered for a while until they found a suitable in and paid the price of one night's stay. "So…" he gulped awkwardly after they'd undressed, "How do you want to do this?"_

"_Um…" she uncharacteristically pushed her fingers together, "I… I guess I'll start reluctantly – and let me make that very clear – k-kissing you."_

"_Sounds good to me," he replied, and little by little inserted his tongue into Tsunade's mouth. _"Her scent is so beautiful, and her taste is amazing!" _he thought as his tongue swished around her mouth._

_Little did he know that she was thinking similar thoughts. _"Wha… what is this feeling I have for him?" _she wondered, enthralled by his workings,_ "I… haven't felt anything like this since… Dan."

_Jiraiya, pleased, noticed her nipples had become erect. "Hot already?" he uttered smugly, "I think you've already lost this bet."_

"_Sh-shut up!" she gasped. "I'm not finished yet!"_

"_You will be," he replied, still supercilious, "We haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet."_

"_What do you m-mmph!"_ _his tongue thrust in once more, she barely felt a tiny stream of chakra in her mouth. Instantly, pleasure flooded her senses, the pleasure induced by his every touch amplified._

_Jiraiya, meanwhile, was thoroughly enjoying himself, relishing what he'd done to her. "_No time to admire my own work, though," _he thought, and continued onward._

_Tsunade felt his fingers push on an area around her breasts and another wave of sexual thrill powered through her, and soon after that, another nudge right down her torso. Suddenly, nearly every point on her body ached for pleasure and Jiraiya was happy to comply. He grinned lecherously as he pressed his palms into her breasts. "_Finally,"_ he thought,_ "after all these years I've gotten my hands on them; the biggest, most firm and perfect set of jugs I've ever drooled over!"

_As he squashed her breasts as hard as he could, taking her nipples, sucking and squeezing them at rapid pace, she screamed in pleasure. _"Oh… my _God_," _she thought, "_I didn't know Jiraiya had anything like this up his sleeve!"

"It's her first time with the gates, and as much as I'd love to go on, I can't let myself," _he thought, and cast the protection jutsu. Thrilled, he got into position and drove into her with all his might, her screams of delight as the sweetest symphony to his ears._

_Finally, she climaxed over and over, with his own release chasing hers. "So," he said as they basked in the afterglow, "I take it you admit defeat?"_

"_Y…" she began, then, eyes wide in realization, said, "Hell no! I… I think you just got lucky!"_

_Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "You think I can't do it again? Bah! I can do all that and more!"_

"_I think it was just a fluke."_

"_Then how about double or nothing?"_

"_You're on!" she said with a clenched fist._

"_Then let's get this started!" They started again, this time with more fervor, and Jiraiya quickly activated gate after gate._

_Tsunade could not believe what she was feeling. Her desire was escalating at an exponential rate and then, suddenly, her mind went completely blank, melted down to just one incredible feeling of pleasure, that one emotion and… one more. Jiraiya resonated in her heart; everything he was, every aspect of him now deserved her affection._

_Jiraiya's heart raced. He had reached the final gate. _"Oh, if only she loved me,"_ he thought with a look in her eyes… and then, suddenly, he saw it. Reflected in her chocolate orbs was the shining light of love. Jiraiya was overjoyed; the one thing he had been seeking all these years was finally his, and what better way to celebrate than hitting the last gate? With one final drive, he activated it, sending both of them into sweet, sweet ecstasy._

_They awoke the next morning at almost the same time. The events of the last night still ringing in his head, Jiraiya asked, "So… do you want to do something later?"_

"_What, like a date?" she asked back, gathering her clothes._

"_Uh… yeah," he said hopefully. _

"_Look, Jiraiya, I'll admit I really had a great time last night," she said as she dressed, "But that's just what it was, remember? We said it would be just a great time."_

"_Oh," he said in disappointment. "Are… are you absolutely sure?"_

"No," _she thought,_ "I'm not. Tell him you love him. Tell him you need him. Tell him you want to grow old together. Tell him you want to spend every waking moment with him. Tell him anything, _anything,_ but…" _"Yeah. I'm sure."_

_He inhaled slowly. "Well… okay. I'll, uh… I'll see you around, right?"_

"_Right," she said. "And before we get out of here… what the hell was it you did last night?"_

"_Er…" He gave a brief summary of the gates, ending as he said, "And the last gate has a very special property, which is…" he trailed off._

"_Which is?" she urged._

_After a moment's hesitation, he drew a deep breath and said, "Which is that it's the most powerful. That's all."_

"_Well… I can't say I'm not glad you know these, especially after last night." She walked towards the door. "So… I guess this is it."_

"_Yeah," he said. "See you." She waved slowly and was gone. After a few seconds of contemplation, he walked steadily out of the room. _"What the hell happened? Did I screw up the last gate?"_ He shook his head. "_No. I don't screw up, especially not with ero-jutsu. Then the only conclusion… is that she's lying. She's lying and she loves me like there's no one else on the planet. But… I know she'll never admit it." _With a resigned sigh, he walked onward. _"Oh well. At least I have new material for my novel."

Tsunade wondered just what would have happened if she'd admitted her feelings to Jiraiya all those years back. _"You always had to have your stupid pride, didn't you? Idiot." _With a longing glance at his picture, she took a swig of sake and got back to work, hoping that time – and booze – would ease her pain.

-----------------------

And that's this chapter over. It's been completed for a while, but my internet crapped out, so I have to mooch off the sometimes-working neighbor's internet.

Like I said, the characters got a bit out of character here. Anyone who watched the anime will know that the song Sasuke and Naruto drunkenly belt makes this all a little meta.

I took a big leap deciding whether or not to include the Jiraiya/Tsunade bit. I hope it pays off. As always, review, review, and review some more! Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, all of it! Your reviews help my writing grow!


	5. Revelations

Author's note: Sorry this took so long, gang. I've been dealing with a lot of personal issues in life that make it a living hell, so to speak… Ah, well, I can't kill myself yet! I've got readers to satisfy! Thanks for sticking with me even through this long time.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Chapter Five: Revelations

Fifteen days into training, Hinata continued to fight against Naruto's clones, and her fighting style had drastically evolved. _"Amazing,"_ Naruto thought, smiling as she tore away at more of his _bunshin, "She's progressed further than I guessed… I guess it's true after all: 'When you fight to protect those important to you… you can become as strong as you need to be'!" _The copies dispersed. "Alright, Hinata, that's good enough for today."

While she exited her battle stance and stretched, Naruto took in the glorious sight of her sweat-soaked form, making her shirt visible through her open jacket and partially see-through, her ample breasts bouncing as she steadied herself, the pert nipples erect and straining the cloth. The past two weeks, she had always been exhausted or worn out from training, and Naruto had been stuck with outrageous longing. Outside of his volition, he licked his lips slowly, his heart beating heavily. She looked irresistible as she wiped the sweat from her brow, her full lips glistening from the moisture. On top of all that, the scent from her perspiration mixed with her own aroma acted as a natural pheromone to Naruto.

"Whoo!" she said, exhilarated, "I'm getting better at this, Naruto-kun!" It was true. In addition to her technique, her chakra control and physical strength had improved tremendously. Her body no longer struggled to keep the fight up and as such, Naruto no loner needed to carry her back to the apartment. "What do you say we do now?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him.

He snapped out of his sexual gawking. "Eh… how about we go and shower, and then we can get some dinner?"

She leaned her head on his shoulder, cheek against cheek. "I think that would be nice…" Holding hands, they leapt off back along the familiar path back to their home, where they quickly stripped off their clothes and entered the shower. "Ooh, Naruto-kun, I'm a little sore," she groaned, her damp, raven hair running straight down her shoulders, "Would you mind washing my back, please?"

"Not at all," he said eagerly, lathering up his hands and rubbing her back slowly and sensually, despite trying to retain his desire.

"Ohhh," she moaned, "That feels nice… thank you, Naruto-kun."

"No… problem," he uttered, unfocused, trying to keep composure. Soon, however, he succumbed. _"Fuck it,"_ he thought, and with a hand on her shoulder, spun her around and forced his tongue into his mouth, loving her arousing taste.

They parted, panting. "Oh my… Naruto-kun," she said, blushing as the steam rose around them, "That was so passionate! It was so-"

"Shh," he said, pressing a finger to her lips, "Talk later," and returned to kissing her, rubbing his hands all over her drenched body, reddened by the heat of the water. Naruto realized ecstatically that this was the first time he'd ever felt her skin this wet before. He loved the way his hands glided so easily across her slippery form. He gazed at her lovingly; the way her eyes remained caringly fixated on him, her soaked hair flowing straight down past her back and on her shoulders, her rosy lips in a pouted shape from her arousal. _"God, she is so beautiful," _he thought, and got back to work.

He massaged her great breasts, kneading them slowly, letting his thumbs play with the tips and basked in her sighs of pleasure. As he worked his way down, he tried something he'd thought of long ago but had never attempted: Naruto buried his face in her deep clevage, fidgeting inside, whipping out his tongue and losing himself in the masses of flesh. His hands, however, remained focused on their task, playing with her womanhood and eliciting several gasps and moans from Hinata.

Just then, Naruto felt something completely and wonderfully unexpected: Hinata had taken her own hands at the sides of her boobs and pushed them together, engulfing Naruto's face. It was his turn to moan as she squeezed his head in her tits. _"God, I love her so much."_ Together, they worked in a symbiotic fashion: Naruto pleasured her below the waist and she mashed his face in her delightfully large bosom.

After they'd both been sufficiently stimulated, Naruto retracted his fingers from her entrance, receded a bit reluctantly from her warm, fleshy pillows and a few seals later, the protection jutsu had been cast. Now a true master of the gates, he activated the first four in the space of a few seconds. Hinata screamed, the acoustics of the shower amplifying her voice several fold as she latched her legs onto his waist. "Oh, Naruto-kun," she growled huskily, "Don't hold back, please! Be rough, really tear into me!"

He grinned, as always, at her lost inhibition. "I'm here to serve," he replied smoothly and, leaning against the wall, thrust into her as rapidly as he could, gripping her breasts as tightly as he could muster. He loved that she'd let herself be supported by him, he loved the feeling of all her weight on top of her, a conformation of the physical being she was. Eventually, the moment arrived where the two of them finished and slowly, Naruto laid them down to sit in the shower.

"N… Naruto…kun…" Hinata breathed, unlatching herself and leaning on the wall next to him, "That was incredible… I love you."

"I love you so very, very much," he replied.

"Of course… we're wasting a lot of water here… the water bill will run up."

"I know," he said coolly. "I'll deal. It was worth it."

"Mm," she subtly agreed, standing. "Well, now we have to shower all over again…"

"I don't see that as a bad thing."

A few minutes later, they'd cleaned and dressed and headed out the door, off to dinner at what had become their usual eatery. The bubbly waitress, whose name they'd discovered to be Akiko, greeted them at the entrance. "Ahh, it's you two again!" she cheered excitedly. "Welcome back, Hinata-san, Naruto-san! We have your usual table ready for you!"

"Thanks, Akiko-san," Naruto replied, and they followed Akiko to their seats.

"I assume you want the usual? A steak for Naruto-san and a soup and salad for Hinata-san?"

"Hmm, not today," Hinata said lightly, "I think I'll have a steak as well."

Both Akiko and Naruto were surprised. The former recovered from it and said, "Ah, okay then! Two steaks. I'll be back when they're ready!" she said and trotted away.

"You've never ordered a steak before," said Naruto, intrigued.

"Well… who knows? Maybe you're rubbing off on me in more ways than one," she said with a charming smile. Naruto chuckled.

Their food arrived and Naruto noted that Hinata ate most ravenously, if still keeping with her delicate and gentle demeanor. He recalled with a hand on his chin the past few meals they'd had in these two weeks. Her appetite had in fact increased in voracity as she became more adept in her training. There was no negative change in her body; in fact, her abdomen looked even better, more toned, and her breasts had (Naruto grinned deviously, despite knowing that he might be imagining it) grown the slightest possible bit further, stretching out the top of her outfit (the same she'd worn to Sakura's get-together two weeks prior). Finishing this evaluation, he concentrated on devouring his own steak.

Meanwhile, at the Hokage building, Naruto's bunshin was giving Tsunade the report on the training. "She's progressing faster than I'd predicted," said Naruto.

"Hmm. I see. Her Hyuuga blood is finally showing through," she commented and then muttered, _sotto voce,_ "She might even be more than a match for her…"

"What was that?"

"Er, nothing," Tsunade quickly replied, waving it off. "Well, thanks for the report. Dismissed."

"Roger," he said, and then prepared to disperse, but stopped. A question was on his mind, something he'd pondered for two weeks, thinking that it might be too rude or awkward to ask. Then, however, Naruto remembered that such thoughts had never stopped him before. "Hey, Baa-chan," he said quietly, "You said that Ero-sennin told you about the, uh, Eight Gates, right?"

"Yeah, what of it?" she asked, not looking up from her paperwork.

"Why did he tell you?" Naruto asked and Tsunade froze for a moment.

"Uh, it just – it just came up in conversation 'cause he's a pervert, remember?" she said hastily.

"Baa-chan…" he said, leaning in, eyes focused.

She drew in a deep breath and said in a hissed whisper, "Alright, listen to me. I don't know why I'm telling you this, but if you breath a word to anyone – _anyone_ – about what I'm about to tell you, I will strip you of your rank and grind you into powder, literally and metaphorically, do you understand me?" Naruto nodded. She drew a second breath. "Jiraiya and I… we slept together."

Naruto's eyes bugged out. "Excuse me?"

"Once!" Tsunade hissed quietly, "Well, technically twice, but it was in one sitting! That was when he used and told me about the Eight Gates." Naruto blinked for a bit. "Come on. Say something!"

"… How many gates did he go up to?" Naruto asked, eyebrow raised.

"All eight, of course. Why wouldn't he?" she asked skeptically. Naruto didn't answer. "… Well? _Why wouldn't he?"_ she asked again, this time a little more than nervous.

"… Because the eighth gate can only be completed if the woman loves the man with all her being," he answered, slowly and quietly.

Tsunade felt her heart stopping. "… What?" she asked, almost silently.

"If the woman doesn't love the man, the eighth gate shatters her mind," he continued, "But that's avoided if and only if she's completely taken with him."

Tsunade's body didn't know how to react as the realization slammed upon her like a ton of bricks. Sub-rationally, she wanted to drink, go gambling, something to focus her thoughts. Instinctually, she wanted to scream, break things, and cry all at once. She settled for the latter. A small whimper escaped her lips, which slowly grew into a light cry, a mass of sobs, and finally, full-blown shrieks of anguish.

Naruto couldn't think of anything to do aside from clutching her shoulder and rubbing her back lightly. "I'm sorry," he spoke softly. "I really am." Tsunade, inconsolable, kept on crying until her voice grew hoarse. Naruto looked on with sorrow at Tsunade, the once proud Hokage who had been reduced to this pitiable form. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep for what Naruto estimated was the first time in possibly decades. Naruto cleared her desk neatly so that she wouldn't knock anything over and, after calling for someone in the building, dispersed the bunshin.

The original Naruto received the bunshin's gathered information with sadness. He felt empathy for Tsunade, yet as he gazed upon the visage of his beloved, relief filled him. He and Hinata had not made the mistake Tsunade and Jiraiya had. They had not kept their love a secret, a lie to each other, and were infinitely happier for it. "Hinata," he said as they ate dessert, "I… I'm really happy that we're together."

"Oh, Naruto-kun," she said, leaning in, "I'm so happy too…"

They kissed for a few moments until a voice rang in, "Awww, how cuuuuute!" They parted. "Oh! I'm sorry, was I interrupting?"

"Uh, no," said Naruto awkwardly, "Not at all, Akiko-san."

"Okie-dokie! Are you ready for the check?"

Naruto sighed, a bit amused. "Yeah, sure, why not."

The training continued, day after day after day, and Naruto continued to be astounded by her improvement. Hinata was creating techniques on almost a daily basis. Finally, the end of the month arrived, and Hinata, fully rested, arrived with Naruto at the Hokage building.

"Here she is," Naruto announced cheerily, "The newest S-class kunoichi of Konohagakure!"

Tsunade smirked. "We'll see about that. I have a test for you, Hinata."

"What is it, Tsunade-sama?" she asked calmly.

"Well, to see if you are indeed a member of the cream of the crop… we'll have you fight another S-class kunoichi."

"Another elite?" Hinata wondered aloud. "Who is it?"

"Come in," Tsunade ordered to someone outside the door.

"Hello, Hinata," said Sakura, stepping in, surprising both Naruto and Hinata. "I hope you're ready."

"You two will fight at the usual training ground," Tsunade explained. "I and a few others will be evaluating you as you do. Understood?"

With a bow, Hinata answered, "Yes, Tsunade-sama!"

"Good," Tsunade said, "Then let's get going."

As they relocated, Naruto grasped Hinata's hand and whispered, "Are you nervous?"

She grimaced. "You know… I thought I would be, I really did. Against an opponent like Sakura-chan, personally trained by Tsunade-sama… I thought my heart would be pounding in fear." Smiling suddenly, she turned to Naruto. "But then I remember… I've been trained by you, the strongest ninja, as far as I'm concerned, in the whole world. Your voice fills me with strength, and I think… I _know_ I can win."

Naruto's heart swelled to the point of nearly bursting. "I know it too. I'd say good luck," he grinned smugly, "But you don't need it."

They reached the training ground. Naruto and Tsunade stood off to the side. "Okay," said Tsunade, "I will leap away, and that will be your signal to begin. Are you ready?"

"Sakura-chan," said Hinata quietly, "Please, do not go easy on me. If you do…" She entered the Gentle Fist stance, "You'll die."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly at Hinata's words. "Of course," she said, grinning back at her, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Alright…" said Tsunade, "Go!" and she leapt away, Naruto following shortly after.

"Sorry we're late," said Kakashi, appearing with Shizune next to Naruto and Tsunade.

"I wouldn't expect anything else," replied Tsunade.

"So Sakura and Hinata are fighting?" Shizune asked, peering at the standoff of the two kunoichi.

"Yeah," Tsunade answered. "Say, Naruto, what do you think Hinata's chances are against Sakura?"

Naruto grinned cockily. "A ninety-nine percent chance of winning."

"Really…" said Tsunade, intrigued. "This should be interesting.

Breaking the standoff, Sakura rushed at Hinata with a punch that Hinata easily evaded. Sakura, however, carried the momentum and smashed her fist into the earth, shattering the ground. Hinata had seen through it, and fired a palm at Sakura, who dodged. "_Her stance is more loose than when I saw her at the chuunin exam," _Sakura thought. _ "Perhaps a fistfight isn't the way to go on this."_ Performing a series of seals, a mist shrouded Sakura, clouding Hinata's vision.

"_This isn't _Kirigakure (hiding in mist),_"_ Hinata thought, _"The Byakugan can see through that. This must then be… genjutsu."_ Her thoughts were confirmed as suddenly the face of Kabuto appeared before her, holding Naruto's severed head.

"Ahaha… you think he could stop me?" he asked crazily, "I've come back for more of you, Hyuga Hinata."

Hinata's heart thumped in fear instinctively. _"Calm down,"_ she told herself, _"It's just genjutsu,"_ and reached into her tool pouch.

Meanwhile, Sakura watched from a tree as Hinata screamed and writhed in terror. _"It might have been a little cruel,"_ Sakura thought guiltily. _"Better end this quickly."_ She dropped from the tree, fist raised, and just as it was about to connect, Hinata immediately recovered and landed a devastating flying spinning back-kick to Sakura's ribcage. Sakura was sent hurtling away, bouncing on the ground a few times before smashing into a tree. "Oof," she uttered, standing slowly, "I think she cracked a rib with that one… and it probably was a Gentle Fist-style kick, too… But how did she break that genjutsu? My chakra control was perfect, I thought…" Her hand glowing blue, she applied medical ninjutsu to her damaged side until she was healed enough to fight.

Hinata, demeanor unchanged, held out her hand and gestured towards herself in a waving motion. "Sakura-chan. Come," she said quietly.

It was then that Sakura noticed it: Hinata's hand was bleeding slightly and a red-stained kunai lay on the ground. "I see," said Sakura, "You weren't trapped in the genjutsu after all… you used that knife to slit your hand a bit to disrupt the chakra flow, pretended to be affected, and I, stupidly thinking you were helpless, left myself wide open." Hinata nodded. "Okay… let's go again!" she roared, rushing at Hinata. _"The Juuken is dangerous, as merely blocking is futile, making the tenketsu vulnerable."_

"_Sakura-chan has the incredible strength of Tsunade-sama, making blocking a wasted effort,"_ Hinata thought.

"_I have to dodge every strike!"_ both women concluded, lunging at each other.

No strikes connected, though fast their blows were. Meanwhile, in the bushes nearby, Shizune said, "Wow… it seems they're almost even matched!"

"Yeah," said Naruto, "Almost."

Kakashi studied the battle before him. "_Sakura's taijutsu style is the same as always… her agility and flexibility allow for extremely fast flurries of moves. But Hinata is trained as a Hyuuga… she has exceptionally high flexibility, and her agility has been raised since I watched her match at the chuunin exam. There's one major difference, though… Sakura's attacks are one after the other. Disconnected. Hinata's attack… there is no reading it without anything less than the Sharingan. It's completely fluid, with only one beginning and end, like a dance. This means she has no delay time, which means that Sakura has a time disadvantage, where energy and movement is wasted. In that space, Hinata can take the initiative."_ Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and then looked at his other former student. _"Naruto… what in the world did you do?"_

Hinata landed a few more body blows on Sakura, who began pushing herself to dodge better. She finally caught an opening, blasting Hinata's gut with a powerful blow. Hinata did not slow down for a second, baffling Sakura, as she recalled Naruto's words: _"Fight through the pain._"

Hinata darted away, leaping over Sakura, who lost sight of her for only a second. They threw blows at each other for a little longer until Sakura found an opening. _"Naruto trained her well…"_ she thrust her fist, "_But it's over now._" She smashed Hinata's jaw with her monster strength, sending her tumbling to the ground. Sakura dropped her combat stance. _"Not even she could get back up from that._" Suddenly, however, Hinata's body burst in a puff of smoke. Sakura's eyes widened. _"Wait, what th-"_ Her thoughts were cut short by a palm pounding her spine, forcing Sakura to the ground. She rose, coming to her conclusion. "Stupid, stupid," she muttered. "You were trained by Naruto, of _course_ he taught you _kagebunshin._"

"That's right," said Hinata, a bit pleased with herself. "That one wasn't meant to fight you, though," she added, as Sakura raised an eyebrow. Hinata recalled Naruto's teachings about the clones.

"_Now, it's true that _kagebunshin_ are good for combat, but unless you're me, you're better off using them for different purposes," Naruto instructed._

"_Like what?" asked Hinata._

"_The true strength of that jutsu is its ability to transfer data back to the user… essentially, you can use a _Kagebunshin_ as a simulator to study an enemy's moves and master them without fear of being damaged._"

"_Now I see what he meant,"_ Hinata thought. All of Sakura's fighting style had been analyzed due to the insight of the Byakugan.

"Don't think I'm done yet!" Sakura roared, leaping at Hinata.

"_Have to do something about those fists of hers,"_ thought Hinata. Back-flipping away, she reassumed her stance and cried, "_Hakke Futatsute Kuushou (Eight Trigrams Two Handed Empty Palm)!"_ Two blasts of chakra zoomed at Sakura, who nimbly avoided them.

"_Kuushou, eh?"_ Sakura thought, _"That's one of Neji's moves… seems she's picked up a few tricks."_

Hinata sprinted back at Sakura, raising her palm and with a twisting motion, roared, _"Hakke Rasenkuushou (Eight Trigrams Spiraling Empty Palm)!"_

"_Kuushou again?"_ Sakura wondered, confused, _"She should already know it doesn't work…_" She dodged the chakra ball, but suddenly, she felt herself being pulled backwards by some unknown force. As she floated back, Hinata used _Shunshin_ (body flicker) to reach Sakura in an instant, jamming both her wrists with two fingers and finishing with a roundhouse kick to the head.

Sakura, wincing, rose again, already applying healing to her wounds. "What…" she panted, "What was that?"

"_Hakke Rasenkuushou,"_ Hinata began, "is a variation on the Empty Palm… the wave of chakra does not merely push, but spirals, creating centripetal force that pulls the victim towards it." She stood firm. "It is not a Hyuga technique… it is something that I invented on my own."

"_Of course… trained by the Number One Unpredictable Ninja,"_ Sakura thought, _"She has to have some tricks up her sleeve. But that's got to put her out of chakra… Still, she closed two tenketsu on my arms…_" She tried gathering chakra to her arms, but found that only a significantly smaller amount reached. It still gave her above-average strength, but not to the degree she normally could. _"Looks like I have to get serious."_

They resumed the fight, Sakura increasing her speed and landing several powerful blows on Hinata, who did not seem to mind them, baffling Sakura. Sakura continued to dodge while Hinata attacked more and more fiercely. Suddenly, Sakura noticed that small cuts were appearing on her even when she dodged. Eyes widened in shocked realization, she remembered, _"Of course! Hinata can sharpen her chakra to cutting power! Even though she's wasting chakra with it, she know that I'll have to waste even more with medical ninjutsu!"_

Finally, both kunoichi paused, exhausted but still standing. "I didn't think I'd have to use this…" Hinata muttered, assuming an oddly familiar stance to Sakura.

"It can't be!" Sakura exclaimed.

"It is… _Hakke Rokujuuyonshou (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms),"_ Hinata uttered and before Sakura could react, Hinata was already calling out the blows: "Two palms! Four Palms! Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-Two Palms! Sixty-Four Palms!" Sakura did not feel the pain until it was all over when it suddenly overwhelmed her and she collapsed. Not merely were the areas where the tenketsu lay bruised, but she was bleeding from every such area as well. Hinata, panting, collapsed as well.

In an instant, Shizune, Tsunade, Kakashi and Naruto were on the scene. Shizune pulled out a scroll, summoning two medical beds with equipment to match and afterwards began applying medical ninjutsu to both women.

"Hinata," cooed Naruto to a barely conscious Hinata, stroking her hair, "You did it…"

"I did, didn't I?" she whispered back. "I'm so happy…"

"Quite a match," said Kakashi.

"Indeed…" said Tsunade, inspecting the two. _"Amazing…" _she thought, scrutinizing each wound,_ "Sakura was beaten… Somehow, in one month, Naruto made Hinata, a chuunin, into an S-class shinobi. Amazing… Hinata, you won this fight." _"Alright!" Tsunade announced, "I will officially change Hinata's status in the registry to S-class. Congratulations." As Naruto and Hinata smiled at each other, Tsunade bit her thumb, formed handseals and cried, "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"_ Two slugs, about as long and tall as the beds Shizune had summoned, appeared beside Tsunade. "Take these two to the hospital, room 3K-87R," she ordered, pointing at the wounded kunoichi.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," the slugs said obediently and maneuvered themselves so that Hinata and Sakura would be lowered onto their backs, wiggling away with a slimy wake.

As she watched them go, Tsunade glanced at Naruto and said, "You know, Naruto, you should become a Jounin teacher."

"Hm?" Naruto asked with an eyebrow raise. "Why's that?"

"What you did with Hinata in just one month…" Tsunade began, "I never thought that she would be able to beat Sakura. If you could raise her skill in such a short time… then imagine what you could do with your own team."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks, but it wasn't just me, you know. It was her own desire to get stronger…"

Tsunade also grinned and thought, _"So… he sees himself in her, the way they were both shunned and rejected by all. That pain brings them together and also allows them to heal."_ "Alright," she said, "Let's go to the hospital, eh? We can check on them there."

Naruto nodded, and they were off, with Shizune and Kakashi trailing behind.

-------------------------------------

When Naruto and Hinata returned to the apartment from the hospital, it was only a matter of seconds before Naruto and Hinata began tasting each other's tongue.

"Naruto-kun… I'm so happy," she moaned as they stripped.

"Me too," he replied. Just as he was about to start feeling her up, a thump echoed from their window. Naruto and Hinata paused and looked toward the sound's source and spotted another frustrated, confused bird. _"Is our glass really that clean?" _Naruto wondered. Shifting open the glass, he took the bird's note and quickly read it. "Er, Sorry, Hinata…" he said regretfully, "Tsunade-baachan's calling me."

She pouted. "Do you really have to go?"

"Yeah, I should," he said, nodding. "Baa-chan'll have my ass if I don't." As he observed her disappointed look, an idea struck him. "Hmm… _Kagebunshin no Jutsu!"_

"What…?" she asked the air, wide eyed as a few _bunshin_ appeared next to her.

Quickly, he performed the protection jutsu, positioning himself and his clones close to her. "Ready? _Uzumaki-ryu Ero-jutsu Ougi (Uzumaki-style Pervy Secret Technique)! Hachimon Issei Kai (Eight Gates Simultaneous Release)!"_ At once, he thrust chakra at all Eight Gates with the _kagebunshin_. Her body perfectly froze, save her eyes rolling up to the back of her head briefly. Naruto entered the white void dimension of pleasure but quickly returned in time to catch Hinata shrieking one long, extremely high-pitched scream. Slowly but surely, her voice died out and she collapsed on the bed, knocked out. Naruto, dispelling his jutsu, stood and dressed himself, satisfied at his handiwork and soon set out for Tsunade's office.

------------------------------------

They awoke the next morning at almost the same time. The events of the last night still ringing in his head, Jiraiya asked, "So… do you want to do something later?"

"What, like a date?" she asked back, gathering her clothes.

"Uh… yeah," he said hopefully.

"Look, Jiraiya, I'll admit I really had a great time last night," she said as she dressed, "But that's just what it was, remember? We said it would be just a great time."

"Oh," he said in disappointment. "Are… are you absolutely sure?"

"_No_," she thought, "_I'm not. Tell him you love him. Tell him you need him. Tell him you want to grow old together. Tell him you want to spend every waking moment with him. Tell him anything, anything, but…_" "Actually…" she asked softly, walking to him and grasping his hand lightly. "Why don't you and I spend the day together just relaxing, forgetting that we're shinobi, eh?"

Jiraiya blushed slightly, completely surprised by this turn of events. "Yeah…" he said, gripping her hand back, "I think I'd like that."

A carnival had arrived in town and as such Jiraiya and Tsunade decided to use their shinobi skills to win at the games (cleverly hiding their forehead-protectors). They shared delicious carnival food and laughed together, happier than they'd been in years. Finally, at sunset, they sat together on a bench to watch as the burning sphere sank into the sky.

"Jiraiya," Tsunade whispered, resting her head on his shoulder, "I really enjoyed today…"

"Me too," he repeated at equal volume, stroking her blonde tresses.

Her heart bubbling with apprehension for a moment, she resolutely raised her head and looked Jiraiya directly in the eyes, matching his small, obsidian beads with her great, chocolate orbs. "Jiraiya…" she said again, "I… ever since Dan died, you know that I've been hesitant to go into any relationship." Jiraiya nodded. "But with you… somehow, someway, when I'm with you, my heart… it just blossoms, you know? Even if you don't feel the same way, even if I were just some one-night stand for you… I want you to know, that no matter how much of a pervert you are, I love you very much, Jiraiya." Tears had sprung forth from their ducts without Tsunade's notice.

He smiled kindly at her, wiping the liquid from her cheeks "Don't worry…" he said quietly, leaning in, "I love you too."

Beaming elatedly, she pushed her lips upon him, filling him with as much of her heat as she could muster. When they parted, she cried ecstatically, "I'm so glad… we're going to be happy together!"

His smile grew sad. "No," he said pleasantly.

Her expression fell immediately. "No…?" she asked, almost frightened.

"No," he repeated. Suddenly, he appeared several years older to her. "You need to live your life, and it's going to be without me."

"Wha… what are you saying?" she whispered.

Older still, he replied, "The fact of the matter is that I'm not meant to live happily ever after with you. All I can do is die knowing I helped save the day."

"No…" she said, embracing him tightly. She could feel herself aging, though her appearance did not shift. "No, no, that can't be right… you're going to stay with me, and we're going… we're going to be okay, happy and safe."

"I'm sorry, Tsunade-hime," he cooed softly, holding her back. "I have to leave you… forever."

Her crying had resumed; a thousand fold more terrible than before. "But I… I can't live without you!" she sobbed.

"You can," he objected quietly. "And you will. Not just for your own sake, but for others." He held her more tightly still. "I have to go now. I'm sorry."

He began to fade, and she gripped him as tightly as she could. "I love you forever," she said simply.

"I love you beyond where time itself ends," he replied.

He faded, his voice leaving a soft echo. Tsunade's arms suddenly felt nothing to clutch, and the horribly familiar immense feeling of sorrow and pain crushed her until her heart felt as a pulp in her chest. Slowly, as the sun's last rays left the sky, she laid herself on the bench, hoping for death to finally cease sparing her instead of her loved ones.

---------------------------

Tsunade awoke on her desk, tearstains down her cheeks. She sniffled, her nasal passages clogged from her weeping. With a touch to her brow, it cleared, but the pain in her heart stayed. Such a dream had not been the first since Naruto had explained the true power of the Gates, and she knew it would surely not be the last. _"When, I wonder, will it end?"_ she thought. _"That is… will it ever end?"_ Naruto arrived a few moments later. "You just don't knock, do you?" she asked shortly.

"Eh, not my style," he said with a grin. "Anyway, you wanted to see me?"

"Ah. Yes," she said, sitting up straight in her chair. "There's actually something very important I want to tell you."

"I'm not inheriting more money, am I?"

"Well…" she said, a finger to her bottom lip, "You're inheriting something, but it's way more valuable than money."

"What is it?" he asked, intrigued.

"The village," she said dramatically. Naruto's expression became shocked. "You're set to become my successor."

Naruto was stunned. He could barely breath, only managing to choke out, "What… are you saying?"

"You are going to be the Sixth Hokage of Konohagakure," Tsunade explained, smiling.

"Oh… my God…" he uttered.

"What, you're surprised?" she asked with a smirk. "All this talk about becoming Hokage, and you didn't expect it?"

"It's not that," he said quietly, "It's just-" His eyes snapped open. "Oh shit."

"What is it?"

"_Kagebunshin no jutsu!"_ he said quickly, creating one clone. "He'll explain!" With a leap, he was out of Tsunade's office, heading for the gates of the village.

Tsunade, confused, muttered, "What in the world…"

"About a year ago, I set a bunch of _bunshin_ all around the Fire Country as watchmen," Naruto's clone explained. "If any threat comes along, I'll know about it."

"So what're you saying?"

Naruto's clone's expression grew grim. "We're being attacked."

Tsunade's eyes widened. As strong as Naruto was now, if anything could distress Naruto this much, it would have to be a tremendous threat. "By… whom?" she asked, almost fearfully.

The _bunshin_ was silent for a moment. "… By the Eight-Tailed Lizard." Tsunade shot up from her desk, faced the open window, and bit her thumb. As she formed the seals, Naruto asked, confused, "What the hell are you doing?"

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"_ A small slug appeared before her. Tsunade placed her hand on the slug's back and the slug spoke, in Tsunade's suddenly booming voice, "Attention, all Konoha shinobi! We are under attack from a tailed beast! All trackers – Inuzuka Clan, Hyuga Clan, and Hatake Kakashi – locate Uzumaki Naruto, reach his position, and back him up!"

"Are you _nuts_?" Naruto asked, shocked. "You can't send anyone under Jounin-level to even survive against that thing, much less fight it!"

Tsunade grinned, betraying her true emotion. "You seem to forget that we're the proud ninja of Konoha. We've fought against a tailed beast before, a stronger one, and in case you've forgotten, we won."

Images of the Fourth Hokage and his mother ran through his mind and with them, remembrance of the pain of not having their loving presence around him, the lack of a hot meal and a warm embrace to accompany him each night of his childhood. "But… at what cost?" he muttered.

"Don't worry," she replied. "This thing's not nearly as powerful as what's inside you."

He began to protest, "But-" and was cut off by Tsunade's fist in his face. The _bunshin_ disappeared.

"And it's not like I'll just let you die out there, Naruto," she uttered quietly to herself.

Meanwhile, running throughout the forest, Naruto grimaced. "Damn it, Tsunade," he whispered, "Always making my life rough, eh?" Suddenly, Kakashi, Yamato, Sakura, and Sasuke appeared beside Naruto, surprising him. "Woah, you guys got here fast!"

"Eh, I'm only late when I want to be," said Kakashi. Naruto laughed nervously.

"What now, Naruto?" asked Sakura.

"What do you mean?"

"Naruto, we're here to follow your command," said Yamato with a smile.

"You are the one who defeated Gaara, after all," added Sasuke.

"So," said Kakashi, "What are your orders, Naruto?"

Naruto did his best to grin with minimal results. _"They're all depending on you,"_ he thought to himself. _"They're counting on you to get them out of this. Better get used to it,"_ his grin broadened, _"Hokage."_ "Alright, here's what we're going to do," he said with renewed confidence. "We all approach this fucker at once. Once it catches sight of us, we scatter as best we can. Yamato-taichou, you take the rear and start grabbing at it with Mokuton. Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, you two use the Sharingan to distract or trap it as best you can, then lay into it with whatever high-level ninjutsu you have. Don't waste a single shot. Sakura-chan, stay at the outermost reaches of its frontal range, dodging as best you can."

"Roger!" Came the response from all of them.

"Naruto," said Sakura, "What will you be doing?"

He grinned at her. "I'll be showing you something pretty amazing."

They arrived finally in the clearing where the Eight-Tails stood. It roared at them and the air pressure was so great they needed to apply chakra to the soles of their feet just to hang on.Naruto closed his eyes and focused his chakra, preparing to enter Fox Form. He found himself inside his own mind, facing what was once the seal of the Nine-Tails. Now, however, it sat perfectly still, as though it were a dog obeying its master, and Naruto reached out a hand. The Fox reached back with a claw and as soon as they established contact, the Fox immediately flowed into Naruto's palm like a liquid. Naruto's eyelids fluttered open, revealing his slits for pupils and the brilliant glow of golden light around him. All four of his teammates were in awe. "Okay… on my signal…" said Naruto. "Ready?" They tensed up. "_Break!"_

The five of them leapt from position just as the giant Lizard ripped through the ground with an equally giant claw. Sasuke leapt at its hide and whipped out his Kusanagi blade, making gashes along its hide. He landed in front of the beast as it raised another talon. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, worried. Sasuke himself had a look of extreme fear.

"I don't think so!" said Yamato, "_Mokuton Ninjutsu (Wood Released Ninja Techniques)_!" A claw of wood grasped at the hind leg of the Lizard, so that it could not use full momentum as it smacked Sasuke. He went flying back at near bullet speed and Sakura shrieked in fear for him. She glanced at Naruto, who nodded, and she tore after Sasuke's location. "Kakashi-sempai! Now!" Yamato roared.

"On it!" Kakashi replied, looking at the beast's held leg with his left eye. _"Mangekyou Sharingan!"_ A dimensional warp appeared at the demon's upper thigh and Kakashi, with steady aim, snapped it off. The beast roared in pain as blood poured out of its wound. Suddenly, however, the bleeding stopped and through a gruesome scene, bone, flesh and blood built themselves into a brand new leg. _"Of course…"_ thought Kakashi, _"It's a lizard. Of course it regenerates._" What Kakashi hadn't expected, however, was the sudden change of color in the beast's skin from green to an electrical blue. "Uh-oh," Kakashi muttered as it roared more forcefully than ever. Suddenly, the beast's tails whipped up and struck at Kakashi and Yamato like drills. Before the blows landed, however, they felt a golden body collide with them.

"Sorry, guys," said Naruto, putting them down. "It looks like from here on in, I'm the only one who can deal with this… Get out of here as fast as you can. My _bunshin_ will accompany you."

Yamato and Kakashi looked at each other for a second, then back at Naruto. "Alright," said Kakashi, "As you command." He prepared to leave, and then said, "Don't do anything stupid." Naruto didn't reply as the two sped off.

"_There are a bunch of shinobi still coming towards my position," _thought Naruto, _"Looks like I have do everything myself._" "_Tajuu Kagebunshin no Jutsu (Mass Shadow Clone Technique)!"_

An army of Naruto clones materialized and began spreading out in a circle, searching for whoever wanted to fight this monster.

Hinata leapt through the forest, sweating nervously. _"Please,"_ she thought, "_Please don't let me be too late."_ Suddenly, however, a golden figure darting through the trees at extreme speed approached Hinata. She braced herself, but the figure was gentle in carrying her away. She opened her eyes to see Naruto's smiling face, his blue eyes with slits for pupils. "Naruto-kun…?" she asked meekly.

"I'm sorry, Hinata, but you can't help in this battle," he told her softly.

"Please! You have to let me help!" She tried bursting the clone by slamming it with a juuken, but he grasped her wrist lightly before she could reach.

He brought her to where Sasuke, holding his side, and Sakura, healing Sasuke, were, accompanied by two other clones of Naruto. "He brought you here too, eh?" said Sasuke. She nodded. "Well… the best you can do is watch him and pray for the best."

She turned on the Byakugan, searching the wide area of the forest. "That's odd…" she said as she inspected.

"What is?" asked Sakura.

"Naruto-kun's brought everyone trying to reach him to this exact radius around his position… I wonder why?"

"If I know Naruto," said Kakashi, appearing beside them with Yamato, "He's probably got something big up his sleeve.

Naruto leapt at the Lizard, assaulting it from all angles with his _bunshin_. The Lizard roared in rage at this attack, shooting lightning at the various doppelgangers. Finding the original, he struck with a tremendous blast of lightning. Naruto, just before it hit, managed to throw a Hiraishin kunai, teleporting away. _"This is getting nowhere,"_ he thought. _"Looks like I'll have to use _that._ I just need a little time."_ His clones assaulted the beast once more as Naruto prepared a clone to hold his jutsu. _"Come on," _he thought, _"Power all of my chakra into it at once."_ The spiraling ball in his clone's hand grew and grew, with four molded blades of wind around it.

"Oh my God," said Hinata blankly, watching from afar.

"Holy crap," said Sasuke.

"What is it?" asked Sakura.

"You'll see in a moment," said Kakashi.

Having powered every last bit of chakra into his jutsu, he backed away from it. _"Only one shot… better make it count!"_ "Hey, ugly!" Naruto called at the Lizard, who turned towards him and his clone. "Let's dance!"

In Naruto's hands was constructed an all-new variation on the Rasengan. Not holding it so much as levitating it one hand above his head, Naruto's clone held a Rasengan several times larger than his body with proportionate chakra blades around him. "Here I go!" He lunged at the beast, carrying the massive jutsu. _"Chou Oodama Rasenshuriken!"_ The jutsu crashed into the Lizard and instantly, a tremendous dome engulfed it and the rest of the surroundings.

Naruto bolted from the dome of death at top speed, chased by its microscopic blades. _"Runawayrunawayrunawayrunaway,"_ he thought until finally, he escaped, the last effects of his jutsu merely an inch away from the tip of his nose.

Everyone in Konoha watched this tremendous demonstration of destruction. "Dear God…" said Sakura. Everyone else, sans Kakashi, was in awe.

"Just as I expected of Minato-sensei's son," he said with a proud smile. Suddenly, Naruto's _bunshin_ dispersed, worrying Kakashi. "_These _bunshin _were made to protect us… the only reason they'd disperse is…_" "_Kuchiyose no jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"_ The ninken appeared before Kakashi. "Search out Naruto's scent and tell me as soon as you find him," he ordered, and the dogs scattered.

"I can't find Naruto-kun with the Byakugan!" Hinata shrieked, panicked. "He must be so faraway!"

"We'll find him," reassured Yamato. "We definitely will."

Naruto stopped walking and lay beneath the canopy of the trees and closed his eyes, taking in the scents around him: the woods, the grass, the dirt… _"Looks like no flowers this time around,"_ he thought with disappointment. Time passed, and no sounds of people could be heard. Naruto could barely move his arms, much less stand up. _"I guess this is the end of the road. Could it be? Is this where I die?" _Darkness, coldness enveloped him. _"Well… at least they'll probably all be talking about this for a while…"_ He'd lost sight of the world, found himself in a dark void, even with his eyes open. _"I probably should have told Hinata that I love her more often… stupid, stupid…" _He closed his eyes. _"Stupid…"_ As he lay perfectly still, his breathing softened more and more until finally, it ceased.

"_Stupid…"_

-----------------------

Action-packed chapter, eh? I hope it's not too terrible… You know, I got a lot of requests in this and my other fic, the Bleach Ichigo/Orihime fic, _One Lonely Saturday_ (hint hin), that seemed to conflict. Some told me to back off on the lemon, some told me to go more thoroughly. The majority seemed to like that I make my M-Raters not about the Lemon entirely. I hope I please.

Anyway, to find out whether this is a happy ending or not, you're gonna have to read and review, true believers!


	6. The Life and Death of Foxes

Author's note: Whoo, an influx of reviews! I love you guys, seriously! Now… the thrilling conclusion!

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Chapter Six: The Life and Death of Foxes

"_He has to be around here somewhere!"_ Hinata thought, panicked as she rushed through the woods as fast as she could. She stumbled, falling onto her hands but using that momentum to pick herself up, panting. _"Please, please don't let me be too late…"_ It had been several minutes since she'd left.

_Hinata fidgeted, her palms sweating uncontrollably as she stood by Kakashi and the rest. "Kakash-sensei!" she squeaked suddenly, "Your Ninken are taking too long! Who knows where Naruto-kun is, or what condition he's in?"_

_Kakashi remained silent for a second. "There are two options: One, Naruto's extremely far away and the Ninken are having trouble reaching him, or…" he grimaced, "The trillions of fuuton blades displaced so much of the air that his scent is lost. I won't lie to you… it's likely the latter."_

_Hinata focused all her energy on keeping her composure. "If that's the case," she whispered, "Then I'll have to go and get him myself."_

"_What? You can't get out there alone. Who knows when you'd get back?" Kakashi objected._

"_I'm the only one that can do it. Sasuke-san's injured, you've dumped a bunch of chakra, Sakura-chan's spent her energy on medical ninjutsu, and Yamato-taichou's molded too much Mokuton. I have the Byakugan."_

"_Hinata," Kakashi said in a serious tone, "I know you're extremely worried about Naruto, but there's no point in throwing your life away too."_

"_Don't worry," she said, forming a cross-seal with her hands. "I'll definitely save Naruto-kun. After all… he's the one who saved me." Focusing her chakra, she cried, "_Tajuu-"

_Kakashi's eyes snapped open. "Wait!"_

"Kagebunshin no jutsu (Mass Shadow Clone Technique)!"_ Five clones appeared beside Hinata. The strain was easily visible from the beads of sweat on her face. Yamato made what appeared to be one last attempt at halting her with his hand before she leapt away._

_After a moment, Kakashi asked, "You marked her with the tracking-seeds, right?" _

"_Yes, all six."_

"_Good,"_ said Kakashi, _"Send out your wood clone._"

Hinata pounded on, ignoring all of her pain. Luckily, she was a Hyuga, born to pour out a constant wave of chakra. This gave her nowhere near the stamina of Naruto, but it did allow her to move out of combat even after using so many clones. _"Where is he?" _she wondered. Finally, her eyes caught him, laying underneath a tree. _"Oh thank God."_ Her relief only lasted a fraction of a second. As she checked his vitals, she desperately asked, "Naruto-kun, can you hear me? Naruto-kun!" _"No good. He's alive, but barely… and I've no time to get back to the village. Oh God, oh God… Wait. Now's not the time to panic! Naruto-kun needs you, and damn it if you'll falter now!"_ Tying an exploding tag to a kunai, she flung it in the air. Without watching it explode, she whipped out her homemade cream, the cream that she'd given him so long ago at that first chuunin exam. Brief memories of how good his acceptance of her gift felt revisited her, but she focused, applying the tincture to his vitals. All she could do now was wait for a miracle.

Suddenly, her prayers were answered as Yamato stepped through the brush. "Found you," he said with a breath of relief.

"You don't happen to have been sent by God, do you?" she asked with even greater respite.

He smiled. "No, just Kakashi-sempai. Although, some would argue-" He shook his head. "Never mind. How is Naruto?"

She frowned. "His vitals are almost nonexistent and getting worse every second."

"Then we've got no time to waste." Gently, she lifted him into Yamato's arms. "Come on. Let's go. I've got a backup group following us."

She nodded and they leapt away. "Stay with me, baby," she cooed to Naruto's unconscious form, "It'll all be okay… just a little longer, please…"

A few minutes later, a team of medics, Shizune among them, greeted them, the leader of which said, "Yamato-taichou! Hyuga Hinata-san! How is Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Not good," said Yamato, handing Naruto's body to the medics. "He's circling the drain, you have to apply medical ninjutsu at once."

"Right away, sir," said the medic as two others began running glowing hands over Naruto's body.

Shizune approached Hinata. "I understand you have suffered massive amounts of chakra loss from using a forbidden technique, _Tajuu Kagebunshin_ from the First Hokage's scroll. You should be treated as well."

She would have liked to argue, but fatigue got the best of her. "All… alright, Shizune-san…" she said, and let herself be helped.

Meanwhile, Tsunade had reached the battleground where the ruins of the Eight-Tails lay. She drew a disgusted look at the scene: The beast was no longer recognizable, merely splatterings of flesh crackling with electricity and chips of destroyed trees scattered all over a giant wasteland. She reached down and felt the ground, running her fingertips over it. _"This place will be good for harvesting, especially once the chakra from the Eight-Tails decomposes into the land,"_ she thought._ "What an insane technique, the _Rasenshuriken_."_ A messenger bird landed in front of her, dropping off a message. Tsunade read it and, with worry in her heart, darted back to the village.

------------------------

"_Have to keep going…"_ thought Naruto, crawling through the dark abyss ever so slowly, his every muscle snapping in pain. _"If I stop now… if I die now, what was the point of it all? I can't die yet…"_

------------------------

Sakura watched the sleeping Sasuke as he writhed in agony on his hospital bed. Observing him felt terrible: even though she'd applied all of the medical ninjutsu she knew, the chakra of the Eight-Tailed was just too much to repair, acting like a poison. Sakura was briefly reminded of her encounter with Naruto's Four-Tailed form, something far weaker than the fully unleashed Eight-Tailed beast. Even though Yamato had been able to restrain the beast somewhat and Sasuke had blocked with a myriad of snakes, the blow had still been devastating, sending Sasuke flying through countless trees and several walls. It was amazing that he'd been able to stand for even a few moments afterwards, but he had finally succumbed to the pain. He was in no serious danger, she knew, but still she worried.

Meanwhile, Hinata sat in Naruto's room, waiting. To her, he looked so drastically different from the Naruto she knew and loved; where his cheeks were once bright with life, they now seemed to draw life out of the room itself with their deathly pallor. His eyes were half-lidded and she could barely bring herself to look at his pupils: The once energetic, youthful aquatic rings had faded into a void of grey skies. Her hand upon his, there was no warmth; the heat that had cradled her countless times as they'd locked in loving embraced. Now, it seemed, the scorching tears of absolute sorrow coursing down her cheeks had replaced that heat.

"_Oh, Naruto-kun…"_ she thought woefully, _"I need you… don't die… Please…"_ She didn't dare turn on her Byakugan, fearing that what she saw in his body would only crush her heart.

"Hinata…" said Tsunade, entering with Shizune, "I've been able to analyze Naruto's condition." Hinata did not respond. "It seems he awakened at least seven Gates in his insanely powerful but fatiguing Fox Form. Considering his chakra, the amount released by the gates would be enormous, enough to level a shinobi village or fell a powerful tailed beast in one blow. But, if he, an already Hokage-Level ninja opened the eighth Gate… the amount of power of the fully unleashed Nine-Tails chakra would be incalculable. The toll on his human body, however, would be tremendous. His muscles have all snapped, he's ruptured a few organs, and his mind is exhausted. To top it all off, due to his overuse of chakra, even the Nine-Tails chakra won't heal him at the moment. From all this, he's been placed in a coma."

Hinata sobbed heavily and willed herself to remain as strong as she could. "H-how does it l-look for him?"

Tsunade grimaced. "The chances are high that he unlocked the last Gate, and as you know… that spells out assured death. Still, there is a chance that he did not, and that his body is merely wrecked from overuse. We'll be monitoring his condition and will alert you of any changes."

"Thank you," Hinata managed to whisper eventually.

As she and Shizune walked out of the room, Tsunade told her attendant, "Keep watch on Naruto's vitals, will you? I have to go tend to some things."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Shizune answered.

After Tsunade had walked away, Kakashi, who had been leaning on the wall outside the door, arms folded, said, "It's okay. No one can hear you."

Shizune turned to embrace him, streams of tears running down her face and onto his shoulder. "I… haven't cried over a patient in my career in medicine in years…"

"He's not exactly a normal patient, is he?" Kakashi said, gently patting her back. "He has that strange power, after all."

Meanwhile, Tsunade sat in her office and sighed. _"Oh, Jiraiya… if only you were here right now…"_ she mused, glancing at her picture of him. _"You'd know what to do, wouldn't you? You'd know why the Eight-Tails suddenly attacked Konoha, and what to do about Naruto…" _She shook her head soberly. _"And you'd also tell me to trust myself and remain strong in these times. And… now, at least, I'd thank you and give you a kiss…"_

"Ugh, Sakura…" Sasuke groaned as he awakened, "How's… Naruto?"

"… Not good," she said quietly. "But… I'm sure he'll be okay. Right?"

He nodded. "Yeah…" _"I sure hope so… I swear to God, you'd better not die on me, idiot."_

A month passed with no change in Naruto's condition. Hinata spent nearly all of her time in Naruto's room, praying for his safety. Eventually, October tenth arrived, Naruto's birthday and the anniversary of the Nine-Tails' attack. It was a day that nearly all in Konoha considered a tragic one, filled with painful memories and bitterness. To Hinata, however, it was an absolutely sacred day, the day that the most wonderful being on the planet was brought to life.

Shizune received the latest test results from the lab tech and opened the file. Her eyes widened at the contents and quickly, she dashed to Tsunade's office, handing them to her superior. Tsunade glanced at the results and balled her fists. "_Damn_ it!" she cried, "Damn it, damn it, _damn it!_ Goddammit to fucking hell!" Shizune remained silent. "First Jiraiya, then Naruto… how many more, God? How many more until it's enough?!" She took a few deep breaths and continued, much more calmly. "Sorry about that, Shizune… I'm all right now. I'll… go deliver the news personally. And… go prepare the funeral procession for Uzumaki Naruto. I feel it's going to have a large turnout…"

"As you wish, Tsunade-sama," Shizune said, nodding, and with tears clouding her vision ran off to inform the morgue.

As promised, Tsunade walked slowly but steadily to Naruto's room where Hinata still sat. "I'm… so sorry, Hinata," she said with no preamble.

Hinata automatically knew what Tsunade meant and burst out into a wild fit of tears. Tsunade could barely will herself to reach over, but finally pulled the plug.

----------------------------

"_I… can't die…" _Naruto pushed on further, despite the insane pain racking his body and the blood gushing from several wounds. _"If I die here… what was the point of it all…? What was the point of saving the village, of becoming Hokage? What was the point of caring for and loving Hinata with everything I had? What was the point of destroying Akatsuki and saving Sasuke, of becoming a shinobi, of fighting for the right to an existence in the first place?"_ He stopped crawling. _"I guess… the point was that sometimes, you have to sacrifice to do good… and that no one gets a free ride, that when you go down, you go down fighting… and you go down clean." _He chuckled. _"I guess… in that case, I don't need to go any… further. Goodbye, Hinata. I'll always love you… no matter what… always…"_

---------------------------

Naruto's heart rate monitor let out its ubiquitously depressing flatline, and Hinata cried even harder. After a moment, she began sobbing her way to coherence and began to sing in her grief-stricken but still lilting voice, "H-happy b-birthday to you, hap-p-py b-birhday t-to y-y-you… happy birth-th-day, d-dear N-Naruto-k-k-kun…" she drew a sharp intake of breath, "Happy birthday… to… you…" Finally, Tsunade shut off the machine and removed the various needles inside Naruto's flesh. Shizune reached down and patted Hinata on the shoulders, a frown on her face. She offered a handkerchief and Hinata accepted, blowing her nose.

---------------------------

Meanwhile, a voice growled, _"Like hell I don't."_

---------------------------

Hinata eventually allowed herself to be escorted out of the room, where Kakashi and Sakura tried their best to console her, but it was no use. Suddenly, a crashing sound was heard in the room with Naruto's body, accompanied by the clinking sound of glass hitting the floor. Everyone rushed in to see the window broken and Naruto's body missing. Tsunade instantly knew what this meant. "We've had a spy infiltrate. It must have been one of Naruto's enemies, coming for whatever they could get… Whoever this sick son of a bitch is, we'll get him. I'll send out a search party immediately, and-"

Hinata, Byakugan activated, roared, "_Fuck that!"_ Aiming her palm at the window, she cried, "_Hakke Kuushou (Eight Trigrams Empty Palm)!"_ The move blasted away the remaining window pieces and she leapt away before she could say another word.

"Quickly, everyone after her!" Tsunade ordered, and the occupants of the room leapt in pursuit.

"_Where's that bastard?"_ she wondered savagely, scanning the area. Rage flooded her senses, blocking out the grief, becoming her singular focus. She wanted to hurt whoever had violated Naruto's body. To do such a cruel thing even after death, Hinata deemed this fiend truly evil. _"A-ha! An abnormal chakra mass in the direction of the forest!"_ She tore towards her target, leaping off walls and roofs to get to it. She noticed the path there was familiar; this was hers and Naruto's usual spot. _"To bring him to a place like this… he's going to pay."_ Finally, she noticed the chakra mass stop and she smiled and somehow grimaced at the thought of vengeance. When she finally caught sight of it, however, she froze.

It was an image she'd only heard about from Yamato and Sakura. There, before her, sat Four-Tailed Naruto, looking straight at her with his demonic, white eyes.

Suddenly, she heard Sakura's voice from behind call, "Don't touch him! Either that's an impostor, or worse, he's incredibly dangerous!"

Hinata did not step back, prompting Kakashi to yell, "Naruto's gone, Hinata! The Fox is just using his body as a skeleton to thrive as it gains strength! Wait until Yamato gets here to deal with it!" She began to walk towards the black figure. "Hinata!"

However, fear did not overtake Hinata. "No…" she objected quietly, arms outstretched, "I can feel it from within, from every fiber of my being, even from behind that evil chakra … this is my Naruto-kun." Kakashi ran as fast as his legs would allow to prevent Hinata from reaching the Fox, but before he could, she began to embrace it. The rest watched in amazement as the black chakra seemed to phase away the more Hinata approached. Finally, she placed her lips towards the Fox's jagged mouth and as they connected, the entire Demon Cloak melted away, revealing a perfectly fine, if exhausted, Naruto.

"Oh… my God…" whispered Sakura.

Naruto's eyes began to open, lazily dipped closed, and fluttered back open. With a glance at Hinata, he muttered wearily, "I knew I smelled flowers."

As tears of joy poured from her ducts, she whispered, "Hey there, handsome… how are you feeling?"

"To tell the truth," he said, squirming in her arms, "I feel like I died and went to heaven."

"One part of that's true," she said softly with a smile.

"I'd say all if it is," he replied coolly.

"Oh Naruto-kun," she wept, clutching Naruto tightly, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I love you so much… when you… died, it was the worst feeling in the world." He held her as well, letting her hot, relieved tears drip onto his back.

"How the hell…?" Sakura muttered, shocked, "Tsunade-sama, do you know…?"

"No," said Tsunade, puzzled. "There… is no adequate medical term to describe what just occurred here. We've just seen a man brought back to life without Edo-Tensei or anything else… as far as I can tell, it was sheer force of will."

"Hah!" said Naruto, still panting, "I told you… I'd become… Hokage some day… and I never… go back on my word!"

"You sure don't…" said Tsunade, smirking. "Come on. Let's get you back to the hospital, just to check you up. And Hinata…" She eyed her carefully, "I want to run some tests on you, just in case."

They returned to the hospital where Naruto rested after his checkup and Hinata's tests. Naruto, aside from his exhaustion, was given a clean bill of health. "I wonder what Baa-chan's testing you for," Naruto wondered aloud.

"It probably has something to do with the Nine-Tails chakra, I think," she replied.

Sakura stepped into the room all of a sudden, her face bearing no expression, a folder in her hand. "Ah, good, you're both here," she said, opening the file. "Good, good…"

"So, what's the good word, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, smiling.

"Well, Hinata has retained no damage from your Four-Tailed form, but… that's not all." With a deep breath, she continued: "Hinata… you were pregnant."

Naruto's mind raced as he observed Hinata's stunned, blank expression. _"A baby! Wow! I must've forgotten the protection jutsu once, or something, but this is… wow…"_ he thought, _"But… wait a second."_

Hinata voiced the question Naruto had been thinking. "… What do you mean, 'were,' Sakura-chan?"

Sakura's face fell completely and, through a pained voice she replied, "I'm sorry, Hinata… but you miscarried early into the pregnancy." Hinata's shocked expression remained. "The stress from the Eight-Tails attack and fearing for Naruto's life, the division of your stamina to less than twenty percent, the lack of eating from worry… I'm afraid it resulted in the death of the fetus."

"Oh… my God…" whispered Naruto. Instinctively, he put his arm around Hinata. "Hinata…? Are you…?"

She sniffled heavily, the droplets making their way down her alabaster skin. "W-well… we hadn't p-p-planned for it, anyway… and we… p-probably aren't r-ready for a b-baby, we've got resp-p-ponsibilities, and…" Soon, her cheeks were completely reddened and she could no longer form a coherent sentence. As seemed to be the norm recently, she wept into Naruto's chest, shrieking in anguish. Naruto's heart thumped with pain, resonating with her own, but he remained strong and held her tight. "Why…?" she asked after a good deal of crying. "Why do all these terrible, horrible things have to happen to good people like us? I hate it! It's not fair! Why can't it ever be enough?!"

"Because," he said, kissing the top of her head, inhaling her aroma for some solace, "We're the strongest ones in the world. If we don't deal with this shit… someone weaker would have to. But we're too powerful for that… we can't be beaten." Gently, he lifted her chin so that he could peer into those twin pearls. "You know I love you, right?"

"Mhm," she sobbed.

"And you love me too, right?"

"Yes…"

"And you know that no matter what the world throws at us, we'll get through it, right?"

"I do…"

"Then please… don't cry anymore. Seeing you in pain is the worst thing in the world."

She rubbed her eyes, clearing them of tears. "Okay… I'm okay now… I will be, anyway…"

Sakura looked on, amazed. _"In such a short time, he helped her recover from that traumatic blow while suffering from it himself. Incredible. He's not just becoming stronger in ninjutsu… his _other_ power is developing rapidly too."_ "Is there… anything I can do for you two?" she asked tentatively.

"Just get us the release forms, please, Sakura-chan," Naruto said pleasantly. She nodded and left.

A short while later, Sasuke stepped in the doorway and said, "Naruto, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, Sasuke," he replied. "I'll be right back, sweetness," he told Hinata as he walked out of the room. "What's up?"

"Sakura told me what happened," Sasuke said grimly. "If you want, we could, you know, go out, grab a drink and some ramen… just to talk everything through."

Naruto grinned. "What's this, since when have you worried about my wellbeing? I'm fine, you know me! Solid as a rock!"

"But-"

Naruto turned from Sasuke and gave a cheesy thumbs-up. "Seriously, I'm okay. Thanks, though."

Sasuke said, "Any time…" but though he could not see Naruto, he did catch sight of the single tear that fell to the floor. Sasuke sighed, thinking, _"Never lets anyone see him weak, the idiot. Well… that is, no one but one person…"_

"What did Sasuke-san want to talk about?" asked Hinata.

"Nothing, just something about a technique I showed him," he answered with a kiss to her cheek.

Eventually, Sakura returned with the forms. They signed the papers and left the building, Naruto lifting Hinata onto his back. "Ooh, why the piggyback ride?" she asked, leaning into him.

"I haven't moved in a month, I figure it'll be good exercise," he answered, neglecting to tell his true reason out of fear of sounding too out of character. _"The truth is that I want to feel your weight,"_ he thought, _"To feel it pressing down on me, confirming my life and your existence."_

"Did Naruto and Hinata leave yet?" Tsunade asked Sakura.

"Yes. I just discharged them," Sakura replied. "Is that a problem?"

"No, no," said Tsunade, turning to walk back to her office, "It's something that can wait, anyway."

-------------------------

Both naked, Naruto watched Hinata rest as he lay behind her, observing her angelic form. Almost (almost) absentmindedly, his hands reached around her and began massaging her breasts, feeling the soft, supple flesh fill the gaps between his fingers as his hands spread wide as they could to grasp the greatest mass possible. She began moaning and Naruto felt his erection growing.

"Having fun?" he heard her mutter.

He paused. "Eheh, sorry…" he said sheepishly.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that," she said huskily, turning around and wrapping her arms around his neck, "But don't start something you won't finish."

"Well," he said, bringing his lips to hers, "I don't go back on- well, you know the rest."

"Ohh, We haven't done this in a month…"

"I can assure you I haven't lost my touch."

"It's not that…" a devious twinkle appeared in her eye. "But because you made me wait, I'm going to do this nice and slow." She licked her lips sensually, an inch from his own. "Nice… and… slow…"

"Ooh, when did you get so sly?" he asked, intrigued.

"Do you hate it?"

"Not at all. But first…." With a few slowly and meticulously formed seals, he launched the Protection Jutsu. "Now… let's get down to business." She practically leapt on his mouth, teasing it, focusing on a certain point on his tongue, which told him she wanted the first gate. He was happy to oblige, prompting her usual moan. Then, without warning, her guided his hands to the next two gates and Naruto, amused, activated those as well. Now, with her nipples erect, she brought Naruto's hands to grasp her enormous breasts.

"Go wild," she whispered.

"_Wow, she's really taking the initiative now…"_ he mused. As she gasped and shrieked, his manhood throbbed. Suddenly, she clutched his wrists and removed them from her chest. "Wha…?"

"Hold on, I… I don't want this to end just yet," she said, lowering herself to Naruto's lower half. "Not without giving you something."

"You don't need-"

"You talk too much," she interrupted.

Then, in a completely unexpected move, she buried Naruto's member in her cleavage, her boobs so large that only the tip of Naruto's penis, lengthy and broad, could barely be seen. His eyes shot wide open and he let out an involuntary gasp. "Oh… my God, Hinata…"

"Hold on… don't end this yet…"

"Don't worry about me," he said breathily, "If I have anything, it is definitely stamina."

"Good, good…" she muttered, "Because you're going to need it." Mashing her huge tits together, she began pumping up and down upon Naruto's erection. He yelled in pleasure, his focus on staying stiff.

Just when Naruto thought the pleasure had reached its peak, he felt her tongue swirl over his tip. "Gah… Oh, hooooly _shiiiit!"_ Hinata was absolutely amazed that Naruto hadn't caved yet and abandoned his member. His expression jumped, as though he'd suddenly been dumped in an icy lake. "Wha… why?" he pleaded.

"Eight gates… Go," she instructed. With four strikes, he awakened the next four gates, bringing her to an even greater level of an arousal than he. Finally, driven by wild lust, he thrust into her, activating the last gate, feeling her walls close around him before venturing to the white void of ecstasy once more. When he returned, he found her lying next to him, panting heavily and shivering, her skin reddened from arousal. "Oh God… Naruto-kun…" she moaned, "I'm still… still…"

"… Horny?" he suggested.

"Uh-huh!" she moaned again, this time much louder. Her hands reached to her breast and womanhood, stimulating herself. "Naruto-kun… what's… what's happening to _meeee?"_

Naruto too remained puzzled until he recalled Jiraiya's words regarding the last gate…

"_The Eighth Gate is, of course, the most powerful of all the gates and potentially the most lethal, as I've told you," Jiraiya explained as Naruto practiced. "Its use is too powerful for nearly anyone to remain conscious afterward. Only you, maybe, with your incredible stamina could stand it."_

"_Uh-huh," he muttered lazily._

"_But here's the thing… it has a long-term effect, too," said Jiraiya with a devilish grin._

"_Oh?"_

"_The more you use the Eighth Gate, the more the woman's sexual stamina increases… meaning more time for you two to fool around."_

"_Cool," said Naruto, bored._

"_Eh," said Jiraiya, exasperated by Naruto's unresponsiveness, "You'll get it when you're older."_

"Don't worry," he said, passing his hands over her quaking body, relishing her gasps of pleasure, "I'll make it all better."

In one swift motion, she latched onto him like a warm, human barnacle. "Please… give it to me!" she shrieked. He felt around every inch of her body and, as her cries multiplied, felt his own arousal growing. More and more, the intensity increased until finally, they finished in a flow of ecstasy. As they lay side by side, Naruto stroked her hair gently, running his fingers through it and reveling, as always, in the glory of her scent. Suddenly, a memory from one month ago surfaced in his mind. "Hey, babe," he whispered.

"Hm?"

"I'm going to be Hokage."

"I know, sweety."

"No, I mean, Tsunade-baachan actually declared me her successor right before the Eight-Tails attacked." Hinata turned around rapidly and accidentally headbutted Naruto's skull into the wall. "Ooh… _Wow_, that hurt!" he groaned, trying to decide which side of his head to rub.

"Oh God, I'm sorry!" she squeaked, grasping his head and reaching her lips up towards it. "Here, let me kiss it better." As she planted her warm lips on his forehead, he smiled and, perhaps through placebo or perhaps his Fox healing, felt the pain slip away. "But, uh, anyway… Tsunade-sama said you're definitely going to be Hokage?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"That's… that's amazing!" she breathed. "Oh my God, this is so exciting! We should celebrate!"

"I think I know how…" he said with a grin, placing his mouth near hers.

---------------------------

A few hours later, Sakura and Sasuke stepped up to Naruto's apartment fully dressed in combat gear. As she lifted her hand to knock on the door, Sakura paused. "What's wrong?" asked Sasuke.

"I think I hear something… someone in pain, maybe?" she said, putting her ear to the door.

Sasuke listened at the door as well and plainly said, "… That's not the sound of pain."

"What?" said Sakura, "What else could it-" A gigantic blush covered her face as she came to the conclusion. "Oh my…"

"It's getting louder…" Sasuke commented, backing from the door. In a few seconds, Hinata's screams grew in volume so that they could be heard several feet away from the door. "She's gotta have vocal cords of steel," said Sasuke, raising his eyebrow.

"I'm sure they'll be done soon," said Sakura hopefully.

"Didn't you say that they once went on for fifteen hours?" Sasuke asked skeptically.

"Oh… yeah," said Sakura. "I guess… we just wait." And so, they stood and waited, doing their best not to listen too intently to the shrieks of delight from within the room. "The neighbors must really hate them… Yeesh, I guess this is why Tsunade-sama told us to go a few hours early."

Thirty minutes passed.

"Got any twos?" asked Sakura.

"No, go fish," replied Sasuke as Sakura drew a card.

An hour passed.

"I spy with my little eye… something that's yellow," muttered Sasuke.

"Is it that spot on the ceiling?" asked Sakura.

"Yep… Your turn."

"Let's see… I spy…"

Two hours passed.

"Did she just ask him to spank her?" Sasuke asked.

"Either spank or bite, I couldn't tell…" responded Sakura.

Three hours passed

Sasuke and Sakura had fallen sound asleep until, with a snort, Sasuke awoke. "Sakura," he said, patting her shoulder, "Sakura, I think they've finally stopped."

"Unh," she mumbled, "What, really?"

"Yeah." Sasuke darted up from the floor and eagerly knocked on the door, hoping not to miss this opportunity as Sakura joined him.

"Yeah, yeah, hang on!" came Naruto's voice from inside. Opening the door he said, "Oh, hey guys! How's it going?"

Sakura, blushing heavily, growled through gritted teeth, "Pants. On. _Now._"

With a confused expression, Naruto looked down. Realizing his lack of garments below his torso, he sheepishly said, "Heheh! Be right back!" left for a brief moment, and returned, fully clothed. "Aha, sorry about that. What's up?"

"We've been sent to inform you that we've got a mission," said Sasuke. "We're all supposed to meet up with Kakashi tomorrow."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Whaaa? I just got out of the hospital today!"

Sasuke grinned. "Yeah, and the mission's tomorrow."

Naruto's toothy smile emerged. "Alright, alright… I'll see you guys then."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Sakura thought, _"Good… Tsunade-sama was right. He'd bounce right back. If he hadn't, we would have had to go on the mission without him…"_ "See you, Naruto," she replied, and the two left his apartment building.

Naruto, closing the door, turned to see Hinata standing behind him. "You have a mission tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "You'll be okay, right?" She nodded, beaming sweetly at him. "Good." Guiding her to the bed, he whispered, "So today… I can't believe I'm saying this, but let's hold off on the sex, eh? How about we just stay in…" He pulled the covers over both of them, "And be with each other? How's that sound?"

Hinata smiled and gently brushed her lips to his. "That's fine, Naruto-kun… that's perfectly fine."

"Good," he said, and kissed her back. Then, however, they crawled into bed and cuddled and Hinata quickly fell asleep. As he lay there, stroking her silken tresses, he truly began to consider the ramifications of becoming Hokage. _"Can I really do it?" _he thought with a frown. _"Can I really lead this village? I know I'm strong enough, but…"_ Suddenly, Hinata let out a pleasant sigh in her sleep, nuzzling into Naruto's chest. He held her tighter still. _"No. In order to protect her and everyone else… I'll become whatever I need to be!"_

Meanwhile, Kakashi and Shizune strolled the streets of Konoha, hands entwined, causing many heads to turn at the sight of loner Kakashi being even that close to someone. "So Naruto-kun is actively returning to your team tomorrow?" Shizune asked.

"Yeah," said Kakashi pleasantly. "Sakura and Sasuke tell me he's ready for it."

"That's good," said Shizune. They sat down at a nearby bench where Shizune leaned herself on Kakashi as he wrapped his arm around her. "Ohhh, Kakashi," she sighed, "I love being with you… You really make me happy, you know?"

"I do," he said. "I love you." After a second, Shizune turned to peer into Kakashi's visible eye, beaming brightly. The force that flowed into Kakashi astonished him. It was warm, it was soft, it was filling… _"Oh… my God," _he thought, his breath becoming tight. "Shizune," he whispered quickly, rising from the bench with her hand in his, "Let's get out of here."

"Huh?" she asked with what Kakashi thought was an adorable head tilt. "Where are we going?"

"My place," he replied coolly.

"Why?"

He grinned. "I need to finish something I started." With that, he whisked her away to his apartment where soon they were making love in a mad fervor. Kakashi was driven solely by his desire to pleasure Shizune as much as he could, fueled by this incredible feeling of love he felt. Kakashi did not hesitate as he reached the legendary final gate, allowing Shizune and himself to be carried into the white void of ecstasy. When they awoke a while later, Kakashi laid a sweet kiss upon her lips and told her tenderly, "Shizune… I don't just love you… I… need you." He could barely believe that these words were coming out of his mouth, but the emotion behind them was too powerful.

"Kakashi…" she groaned softly, "I need you too…"

Kakashi smiled, satisfied. After all these years of suffering and loss, Kakashi had finally achieved harmony in his life. "So… what do you say we read the next chapter?" he asked, picking up _Icha-Icha Paradise._

She smiled.

--------------------

"We'll only be gone for a few days," said Naruto, hand gently resting on Hinata's shoulder the day after.

"I know," said Hinata, grasping that hand. "I'll miss you, but I'll be fine."

He grinned, sliding his ANBU fox mask down. "Good." Turning to his team as Kakashi gave one last farewell kiss to Shizune, Naruto called, "Alright, guys! Let's move out!"

"If I remember correctly, the team is still called 'Team Kakashi'," said Sasuke smugly as Naruto grumbled.

"Let's go," said Kakashi, directing the way forward. With one last glance at Shizune, he and the rest of the team leapt away.

Hinata sighed. Shizune, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, said, "They'll be okay. I'm sure the mission won't last that long." Hinata nodded and began heading back to the house.

As they leapt through the trees, Naruto asked, "So what's our objective here?"

"A shinobi with connections from Kirigakure has began controlling illegal shipments in and out of the Water country," Kakashi explained. "Our job is to kill him or, in the best case scenario, capture him."

"So why's this an S-Class mission for the ANBU?" Naruto wondered.

"His name is Suishi. He's a high-ranking missing-nin in the Bingo Book," said Sakura. "He's one of the Seven Shinobi Swordsman of the Mist and according to sources, he's supposed to be more powerful than Hoshigaki Kisame."

"Is that so…" Naruto muttered, "Well, this ought to be fun. How long 'till we get there?"

"Idiot," said Sasuke, "Don't you know how far it is to the Water Country? It'll take several days to get there."

"Hey! I'm not good with geography!" Naruto objected.

"Or anything else," said Sasuke.

"When we get back, I'm kicking your ass!" Naruto raged, though not really angry. Sasuke laughed.

The days passed as Hinata stayed in the village, rather bored. Her own team had gone on a long-term mission and wouldn't be returning for a week or two. She hung around with other kunoichi, walked around the village, and tried to keep herself busy, but it all seemed monotonous. A few days after Naruto had left, an idea struck Hinata. "_I should give him a nice surprise for his return!"_ she thought. _"But what should I do…?"_ Decided, she began heading towards the Hokage building.

Tsunade sat in her office plowing through paperwork while Shizune had stepped out. As she hummed to herself pleasantly, a knock came at her door. "Come in," she called. Hinata stepped through the doorway. "Oh, hello, Hinata."

"G-good aftern-n-noon, Tsunade-sama," she replied quietly, a blush adorning her features.

After a few moments of silence, Tsunade, eyebrow raised, asked, "… Is there something you need, Hinata?"

"Uhm, I…" she fidgeted nervously. "That is… can I ask you something… personal?"

"Sure," said Tsunade kindly. "What kind of Hokage would I be if I didn't offer advice to the people of my village? Tell me what you need."

Hinata gulped heavily. "Okay… then… wh-where would you buy your lingerie?"

Tsunade's eyes shot open. "Er… Hinata… why would you ask me, of all people?"

Hinata's blushed deepened. "W-well, y-you have the cl-cl-closest pro-p-p-portions to me..." She shut her eyes in embarrassment.

Tsunade sighed. With a quick glance at her chest, she instantly understood Hinata's meaning. _"The poor girl looks like she'll die if I embarrass her further…" _"Alright, Hinata," she told her, "I haven't and wouldn't ever _buy_ lingerie." Taking a pen and paper, she began to scribble. "Now, I certainly don't go to this store down the main road and to the right, and I absolutely don't ask for Saeko." She handed the paper to Hinata with a wink.

Hinata smiled, her blush fading. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama!" she said happily

"Don't thank me," replied Tsunade, grinning slyly as Hinata began to leave. "I _didn't_ do anything, after all."

Meanwhile, Team Kakashi came upon their target, the Kirigakure shinobi in his large mansion. The team had positioned themselves all around the main chamber. "No guards," Sasuke whispered into the radio. "He must think he's untouchable."

"Makes our job easier," said Naruto.

"All we have to do is wait…" Sakura muttered,

"Here he comes," said Kakashi.

Into the chamber stepped a large, bald, dumb-looking shinobi carrying a large halberd. "This is our target?" Naruto asked incredulously. "How the hell could he be an S-Class shinobi?"

"Be careful," Kakashi warned. "He has a kekkei genkai which allows him to wield fire and water, creating scalding steam."

"Blah blah blah," Naruto uttered. "I'm going in."

"Wait, what?" Sakura raged, "You can't go in there alone, idiot! Kakashi-sensei, do something!"

"Let him go," said Kakashi. "He's been out of action for a while. Let him have some fun."

"Thanks, sensei," said Naruto, heading towards the target.

As Naruto neared, Suishi noticed him immediately. "And who might you be?" he grumbled

"This is a nice place," said Naruto, observing the walls of the room, all of which were adorned with various extremely high quality works of art. "You buy these with all the money you get from illegal operations?"

Suishi grinned, swinging his blade down to smash Naruto, who burst in a puff of smoke. "_Kagebushin,_ eh? Good move!"

"Seriously, look at this thing," Naruto continued, examining a gold statue. "That's gotta be worth most people's houses."

Suishi struck again and once more, Naruto revealed himself to be a _bunshin_. "Another one? That's a dangerous trick you're using, kid!"

"Is that so," said a third Naruto behind Suishi. "I wish someone had told me that before I did this, then."

Shisui turned to find the room flooded with Naruto bodies. "_Tajuu Kagebunshin (Multiple Shadow Dopplegangers)…_" Suishi muttered. "You must be… Konohagakure's Orange Flash."

Naruto blinked. "'Orange Flash,' you said?" He looked to his _bunshin_ for some sort of explanation but they, of course, gave him nothing. "Uh… what?"

"Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha," Suishi elaborated. "An S-Rank shinobi in the Bingo Book who defeated Akatsuki and several other S-class ninja. Signature move is _Tajuu Kagebunshin._" He whipped the halberd around and aimed its point at one of the _bunshin_. "It will be so fun killing you."

With a grin, Naruto replied, "Well, thanks for the cool nickname and all, but dying's not really on my itinerary right now. Instead, I've got one word to say to you: Rasengan."

Suishi drew a confused expression. "Rasengan? What?"

Naruto pointed behind him. Suishi turned and, before he could react, saw another Naruto with the spiraling sphere in his hand cry, _"Rasengan!"_ Naruto plowed the jutsu into Suishi's gut, sending him flying across the room and smashing into a wall. "And that's that. Alright, guys, let's pack this up," he spoke into his radio. Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke leapt out.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique),"_ Sasuke muttered, and from his arms several snakes slithered to bind Suishi.

"That was cool, Naruto," said Sakura.

"Indeed, you handled that well for such a direct approach," agreed Kakashi. "Let's take him home."

"Yes, sir!" Naruto exclaimed, creating some _bunshin_ to drag Suishi's unconscious body.

Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Hinata had traveled down the main road and to the right. _"This should be it…"_ she thought and her idea was confirmed as she observed the mannequins that stood in the window, clad all in skimpy clothing. Nervously, she entered, walking towards the bored clerk at the counter. "Uhm…" she muttered, "Can you tell me where to find Saeko?"

"You're looking at her," said Saeko.

"Oh… W-well, I-I was told to talk to you…"

Saeko glanced at Hinata's chest. "Were you sent by Tsunade-sama?"

Hinata blinked. "H-how did you know?"

"My mom used to sell her lingerie when she ran the shop," Saeko explained. "I do it now. So, what can I do for you?"

"I was… That is, I want to impress my boyfriend," she uttered, pressing her fingers together.

"And you want something that'll knock his brains out, right?"

"Mhm…"

"Alright, come with me," Saeko instructed, directing Hinata with a wave of her hand.

As they walked, suddenly Ino waltzed up to them and gleefully exclaimed, "Heeeey, Hinata! You're getting some naughty goods too?"

Hinata nodded nervously. "N-Naruto-kun's away, so I thought I'd give him a surprise for when he gets back…"

"I thought so! Let's get to choosing, shall we?"

Eventually, Saeko led the two girls to a section of the store and gave Hinata some underwear to try on. Hinata, after a few nervous moments, stepped out and Ino and Saeko observed her. "Hmm," said Saeko, "Strike a pose."

"Like… this?" Hinata placed her hands on her hips, leaning forward a bit.

"Damn, Hinata, are you trying to make the rest of us look bad?" Ino asked, eyebrow raised.

Hinata smiled a bit uneasily. "I… I guess I'll take them, but… Saeko-chan, do you have the top in a size or two smaller?"

"Uh, sure," said Saeko, not bothering to question, and a few seconds later, gave Hinata her purchases.

"Oh man," squealed Ino as she left the store with Hinata, "When Naruto sees you wearing that, his head will explode." With a sly grin, she added, "Or… something else will."

Hinata blushed.

---------------------------

"So Suishi went down that easily, eh?" said Tsunade. "No time to use his Steam, even." She smiled. "You've become strong, Naruto."

"Thanks," he replied, grinning.

"Well, I'm glad to see you four working together again. You'll receive your pay soon enough, of course." She winked at Naruto. "Hinata's got a surprise for you, Naruto. She's waiting for you. You're dismissed!"

Team Kakashi saluted and exited Tsunade's office. Naruto eagerly hurried home, wondering what sort of surprise Hinata could hold for him. Finally, he arrived, opening the door to find the apartment dark. "Hello? Hinata?" he asked the darkness.

"Leave the lights off, Naruto-kun," came her voice from the bedroom. "Come," she purred. Naruto tiptoed towards the room and when he stood in its entrance, a small light flicked on, the light, he recognized, from that resided next to the bed.

It was then that his eyes caught her form and his heart stopped. She stood in front of him clad in extremely skimpy lingerie, bent over with a great mass of cleavage hanging in front of him. The top, he noticed, was extremely tight on her chest, the seams strained. Naruto wondered if she were very uncomfortable. "Hin… Hinata…" he gasped.

His reaction excited her, the feeling of having stunned him absolutely and completely. "Naruto-kun?" she whispered coyly. "Are you okay?"

He gulped, finding his throat dry. "I…" was the only thing he managed to wheeze.

"Oh, Naruto-kun," she groaned, taking hold of her breasts. "My boobs… they're so big… I don't think this top can hold them." It was no secret that he loved her large, firm, naturally perky breasts. All she had to do was manipulate them correctly. With an intake of breath, the brassiere creaked with stress and Naruto, eyes like saucers, watched in a daze as the top burst off of her, leaping away from her large breasts. He winced a bit as his erection struggled futilely to poke through his pants. She reached down and began removing the offending article of clothing, whispering, "I have you right where I want you, Naruto-kun… you're my prey."

Suddenly, with a sound like a whipcrack, he was gone, and Hinata heard a voice behind him. "_Erojutsu: Toushou (Pervy Technique: Freeze Palm)." _A small palm tapped her spine and she felt her movements greatly slowed. "You made one mistake, Hinata," he whispered into her ear. "Foxes are never prey. They are only hunters." He reached down to her legs, running a hand on her calf. "What do we have here…? Perfect legs…" he passed his fingers over her inner thigh, prompting a yelp. "An absolutely _tight_ _ass_," he said, lightly winding up and spanking her round buttocks. Another yelp escaped her lips. "Great, wide hips leading to a lean, fit stomach." She cooed as his hand ran like butterflies across her abdomen. "This leads us to the completion of the hourglass with your gigantic," one hand covered a breast, "Soft," his other hand reached to grasp the remaining breast, "_Immaculate_ pair of monster tits."

He squeezed as hard as he could, making her cry out in pleasure. "But we're not done yet," he whispered, removing his hands and placing them upon her cheeks. "After your perfect jugs, we climb up your strong neckline to see the most gorgeous eyes and the most beautiful smile in the world." He leaned in to kiss her, watching as his earlier jutsu wore off. "Hinata… you're the sexiest girl in the world." Silently, he activated the first gate.

"Naruto-kun…" she moaned, "Please… give it to me…"

"Oh, _I'm_ not going to give it to you," he said cockily. Suddenly, his voice multiplied several fold, he boomed, "_We_ are."

She looked up to find Naruto and several _bunshin _stripped down, all with massive erections, all with devious grins. "Oh my…" she uttered. How had it come to this, she wondered? She'd been the one with the plan to make him utterly subjugated… but he had taken control once again! And now she faced an army of her lover… What was this feeling? Excitement? Her body quivered at the idea of what would happen next…

Naruto could see it on her features and smiled further. If she'd rejected this idea, he would have dispelled the _bunshin _immediately. "Alright…" he said, "Let's begin." His _bunshin_ pounced, pressing the gates one after the other. Hinata's mind went into erotic bliss: Naruto's scent was all around her; he was everywhere, inside her, outside, all over her smooth skin. He was her universe. A multitude of hands groped at her, but unlike the dreams she'd had months ago…

"_I was prepared for this to hurt, but..."_ her eyes lit up. _"This feels… really good!"_ And so, bent down on all fours, she gave into pleasuring and being pleasured by Naruto, feeling the _bunshin_ around her pound into her and used her hands and mouth to tease the ones she could reach. Finally, they erupted, Naruto dispelling the jutsu immediately to multiply his release exponentially. Hinata screamed in ecstasy, coming time after time after time until her body was completely exhausted. "Oh… my God," she muttered, hoarse from the shrieking. "I… I can't believe what just happened… I love you so much…"

"I love you, Hinata," he said, taking her in arm. "That's why I did it. Hey, sweety?"

"Hmmmm?"

"I'm going to be Hokage," he said quietly.

"I know, my love," she replied, kissing him on the cheek and closing her eyes. "I know." And so, nuzzling into her, she fell asleep. He held her in a loving embrace for a few minutes until he too let sleep carry him.

-------------------

Sorry this is late. I had to spend my time saving lives and trying to stop my own from going down the shitter.

I'll probably add another chapter or two to this story, just to wrap things up (Check out my other story for a similar things), then I've got another project or two coming up.


	7. Unintended Consequences

Author's note: The latest chapter seems to be going over well

Author's note: The latest chapter seems to be going over well. Imma try some new things for this chapter… and one or two couples that may not go over so well.

This chapter is dedicated to all boob fans everywhere. Revel in the tits.

On a more serious note, this chapter is dedicated to my best friend and his father. I know he'll survive.

Chapter Seven: Unintended Consequences

"How are you, Kushina?" Minato asked his wife in the hospital room.

"Okay for now…" she replied, panting due to labor, a hand on her engorged abdomen.

"And the baby?"

"Naruto is doing well too…"

"Minato!" said Jiraiya, rushing through the door. "Is everything okay? Do you need anything?"

"We're fine for now, sensei," said Minato. "Tsunade-sensei has things covered."

"Good, good…" Jiraiya muttered, breathing a sigh of relief. "I can't believe it… he's almost here!"

"I can't wait," said Minato, smiling.

Suddenly, Kakashi, clad in ANBU gear, burst into the room. "Minato-sensei, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox is attacking! We've already lost several shinobi to it… we need your help!"

"_The Fox?" _Minato thought, panicked. _"How…? It couldn't be, unless…"_ His brow furrowed. _"Madara… I knew he was up to something; the signs have been there! But how could he have appeared so suddenly?"_ His eyes darted towards his worried love. _"That's not important now. I need to make a decision."_

"It's okay," Kushina said gently, "You have to go. Do your job… Hokage."

He nodded and with one last hand-squeeze left the room with an ANBU squad following. "Sensei, what are your orders?" Kakashi asked.

"Evacuate all shinobi from the front lines. I'm going to face this beast head-on."

The ANBU members nearly fell over from shock. "Sensei…" Kakashi spoke softly, "You can't do that… You may be the most skilled ninja in history, but not even you can take on the Nine-Tails. It's the most powerful being in existence!"

Minato smiled nervously. "Kakashi, you flatter me, but don't worry… I have an ace up my sleeve."

Kakashi sighed. "I suppose I can't persuade you to do anything else?"

"You sure know me," Minato replied. "But you can bet that when I'm done with this beast, he won't be walking away."

"Will you?" Kakashi asked.

Minato didn't answer. Instead, they headed out of the hospital and towards the woods where the Konoha shinobi were fighting and dying against the Fox. "Get them out of here!" Minato ordered and the ANBU scattered, retrieving the various ninja. After a while, he spoke through the radio to Kakashi, "Do you have everyone out yet?"

"I do," said Kakashi, to Minato's relief. "And there's one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Your son has been born, healthy and stable."

Minato's heart quivered. "I… that's wonderful. Thank you, Kakashi." With the realization of what had to be done in his heart, he wiped a tear from his cheek. "Bring him to me, Kakashi."

Kakashi blinked. "What?"

"Have Jiraiya-sensei use his strongest barrier ninjutsu and take Naruto to me."

"Why?" Kakashi asked, stunned.

"Just do it!" Minato answered, harsher than he meant. "… Please."

"… Okay," Kakashi replied eventually. "Heading back to the hospital now. Be careful, sensei."

Minato didn't answer again, to Kakashi's dismay, and soon exited the area of radio reception. He bit his thumb and performed the seals, fondly remembering the teachings of Jiraiya. _"This might be the last time I get to use them_," he thought. _"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"_ he roared and with an outpouring of chakra, the chief of toads, Gamabunta, emerged. "Hey, Bunta!" he called.

"Yondaime…" Bunta rumbled. "Good to see you. What are we doing here?"

"We're going to stop the Nine-Tailed Fox."

Bunta remained silent for a moment. "Are you kidding? You're brilliant, kid, but not even our combined power could take down this monster."

"We will," Minato assured. "I can do it. When have I ever steered you wrong?"

Bunta sighed. "Never, I suppose. This had better work, Yondaime."

Finally, they arrived at the Fox, who was sniffing around looking for more prey. "Hey! Foxy!" Minato called to the beast, which turned and glared at Minato. A bead of sweat trickled down his face. "You're going to pay for killing my comrades… It ends here!" The Fox roared, sending a blast of chakra towards Minato and Gamabunta, the latter of whom leapt to the sky.

Suddenly, the radio crackled to life. "Minato-sensei?" came Kakashi's voice on the other end.

"Yes, Kakashi?"

"Naruto is being taken to you… are you ready?"

"We will be." He called towards his summon, "Bunta, we have to retreat towards the village. It's risky, but it's our only shot!" They dodged, over and over, trailing back to the village. Suddenly, Minato caught sight of Jiraiya's _Gamaguchishibar__i (Toad Mouth Trap)_, knowing that Naruto lay inside. "Okay, Bunta, stop here," he ordered.

Gamabunta stopped, facing the Fox head on. "What's the plan, Yondaime? We have to do something fast!"

"Our ultimate maneuver," he said, drawing an oddly shaped kunai. He performed a series of seals, his heart pulsing, and as he finished, he stared behind to a being he knew no one else could see. "Alright, Bunta… as soon as I pull this thing off, disappear. You don't want to get caught up in this."

"Caught up in what?" Bunta asked.

"It doesn't matter. Let's go…" He tossed the kunai, crying, _"Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)!"_ Minato and Bunta warped right in front of the Fox and Bunta jabbed his knife uselessly into the Fox's flesh, the demon's chakra being enough to repel the blade. Minato leapt onto the Fox, hand pulsing with chakra, and roared, "_Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Consuming Seal)!" _The Fox looked confused for a second as it was sucked into Minato's palm. He threw another kunai that landed directly in front of his son, warping there as well. _"Sorry, Naruto,"_ he thought, _"But you're going to have to defeat Madara… I know you can do it… You're my son, after all!"_ Lightly, he placed his glowing palm onto Naruto's abdomen, where a spiral seal appeared.

The surrounding shinobi came out from their hiding places and, seeing the Fox disappeared, began cheering. Just then, however, Minato collapsed, and all ceased. "He's hurt!" said Sarutobi, appearing in front of the fallen Hokage. _"He must have used that jutsu…"_

Pushing himself up, Minato looked behind him to the invisible being and asked, "Please… just a little more…" He rose, pleading to Sarutobi, "Let me… let me hold my son, Sarutobi-sama…" Sarutobi nodded, placing the infant in his father's arms. He drew a hand across his newly whiskered cheeks. "My boy… my dear, sweet, wonderful boy…" He turned to the Third Hokage. "Sarutobi-sama… please… when he…" he coughed blood. "When he grows, becomes a shinobi… please, give him Kakashi, my brilliant pupil, as his teacher."

"Yes…" Sarutobi said solemnly.

"Watch for Orochimaru," he warned. He turned around, passing his eyes over the citizens of Konoha, who had begun to realize that a child now contained a terrible demon. "Konoha shinobi!" he called. "Know this, for all your lives! I am not the one who vanquished the Nine-Tails, who rescued the village!" He held Naruto for them to see. "This boy is your savior, the hero brought by the heavens to bring this village to prosperity… Uzumaki Naruto! He keeps the Demon Fox from destroying us all! Cherish him. Praise him. It is… my last directive." Cradling Naruto, he laid himself on the ground. He turned to the Death God. "I'm… I'm ready," he said with a sad smile. The Death God beamed, its appearance changing from a demonic overlord to that of a benign angel. It outstretched its hand, pulling out Minato's soul and carrying him away.

Naruto began crying heavily, an abrupt change from his formerly peaceful state. "_Does he know?" _Sarutobi wondered as he picked Naruto up, pulling Minato's eyelids closed. _"Does he know that his father is dead, that he will never be held by those arms again?"_

Meanwhile, a five-year-old Uchiha Itachi watched bitterly alongside his sorrowful parents, who carried the infant Sasuke. _"So Madara-sama was defeated…"_ he thought, though his expression remained somber. _"Then I must surpass him." _he glanced at his younger brother. "_And it all starts with you, dear brother."_

Then, as if Minato's words had never reached, the people in the crowd began shifting. "That child… houses the Fox?" asked one shinobi.

"Yondaime is dead… the Fox killed him…" murmured another.

"That child is the holder of a demon! He's evil! A freak!"

"Freak!"

"Evil!"

"Demon!"

Naruto cried harder in Sarutobi's arms. "_Does he know that this is his fate…? That they will all look upon him with eyes of scorn for all his life?"_ He gave a mournful stare to the now peaceful body of Naruto's father. "_No… No, he will be like his father. Strong. Honorable. No matter what, he will be a brilliant shinobi… I can feel it."_

"Sarutobi-sama!" cried a shinobi, stepping forward wielding a kunai, a swarm of others, "Let us kill the child! We'll be rid of that demon once and for all!"

Sarutobi blasted as much killing intent towards the crowd as he could, rage filling his heart. They instantly stopped in their tracks. Suddenly, Kakashi appeared next to Sarutobi and, catching sight of his sensei's corpse, averted his eyes in sorrow, turning them instead to the crying infant in the Third's arms. "So… this is him?" he said nonchalantly. "His son?"

"Yes," said Sarutobi. "This is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Uzumaki, huh." He sighed. "He looks like his father."

"He'll be a great shinobi like him too."

"Yeah. It'll be difficult, though."

"Mm." He turned to Kakashi. "When he graduates from the academy… Kakashi, would you…?"

"Yeah," said Kakashi. "Sensei told me a while ago, while Kushina-san was still pregnant… he asked Jiraiya-sama to be his Godfather and me to be his commander, later."

"You should feel honored."

"I do. I won't go easy on him, though."

"Well, that wouldn't help him, would it? How is his Kushina-chan, anyway?"

Kakashi closed his eyes. "… She's dead, sir. Died shortly after holding her baby."

Sarutobi held Naruto more tightly in his arms. _"So he really is absolutely alone, now…"_ He frowned. "_No… he'll never be alone, not as long as I live. I can see it… he already has the Will of Fire."_

Jiraiya and Tsunade had been looking on from the hospital as a squeaky gurney brought Kushina to the morgue. Both thought how cruel fate was to bring such a wonderful being to such a generic destiny. Jiraiya folded his telescope, grimacing, as Tsunade held her palm on his shoulder. "Minato…" he muttered. "You were supposed to die _after_ me, damn it… how do I get to live and he does not?" He recalled the face of the child. "I guess… that's how." He began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Tsunade asked.

"… I'm leaving. I've gotten some new information about Orochimaru. I'll be back, though."

"When?"

Jiraiya did not answer. "Be well, Tsunade-hime," he said, leaving.

"You too…" Decided, she left the hospital, heading to find Shizune and vacate the village.

Meanwhile, in a creaky, decrepit hallway, behind a tremendous gate, the Nine-Tails awoke, panting. "Where… am I?" he growled. "What happened…? Where is my Yin chakra? I can't maintain corporeal stability without it…" Memories of the last few hours flooded back to him. "That damned Fourth Hokage! He sealed me within this child?" He roared in rage and then breathed deeply to calm himself. "No matter… I merely need to wait… Wait for this child to need me." He laughed a rumbling laugh. "He will… and when he does, I will be happy to oblige."

Minato watched his son cry and looked with disappointment on the eyes of the villagers. He sighed, knowing his request had been a long shot. "So…" he said to the now angelic Death God, "I guess my eternal struggle in your belly begins now?"

"No," said the Death God in a lilting voice. "Normally, for those who use my jutsu, that is their fate." She smiled. "But you, Namikaze Minato, have done such a sacrifice for such good… it would be cruel to keep you in my stomach in combat forever."

He grinned. "That's a bit weird, coming from you, isn't it?"

She chuckled. "I know that that may be my usual appearance, but I am not a hateful God… "

"Then what is my fate?"

"You get to choose. You may watch as your son ages, becomes a wonderful shinobi, as he will be."

"What of my wife?"

The Death God nodded. "She will be with you soon enough, unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you see it…"

"Well… it's the best I can ask for," said Minato, bowing. "Thank you."

"Don't," she said. "You wrought this fate for yourself, and your son."

--

Naruto awoke to the rays of the morning sun kissing him lightly. He yawned, trying to recall the dream he'd just had. It felt oddly nostalgic, but the memory seemed to slip away more and more with each passing moment. _"Oh well,"_ he thought, and rolled over to try sleep again, but was interrupted by yet another _thunk_ on his window. Sighing, he thought to himself, "_This has got to stop,"_ and slid open the glass to remove the message tied to the dizzy messenger bird's leg. After reading the note, he let the bird fly and nudged Hinata a bit. "Hinata?"

"Uhng," she groaned, still in a bit of a sex coma.

"I'll be back in a bit. Baa-chan's calling me."

"Mmhm…"

Smiling at her adorableness, he dressed himself and hurried towards the Hokage building. Tsunade greeted him as he entered. "Hey, Naruto, thanks for showing up so promptly."

He nodded. "Do you happen to only send blind birds to my place?"

"What?"

"Nothing. Whaddya need?"

"I didn't want to bring this up too soon because you'd just come out of a coma that _killed_ you-"

"Yet you saw fit to send me to fight an S-class shinobi," he said dryly.

"But now's as good a time as any," she continued, ignoring him. "Do you know why the Eight-Tails showed up suddenly?"

He took a deep breath. "When we defeated Akatsuki, specifically its leader, his sealing jutsu for the tailed beasts was released, ultimately ending with the destruction of their sealing statue."

"But what does that mean…?" Tsunade asked slowly.

"It means that all the tailed beasts, one through eight, were unleashed, slowly reforming into corporeal bodies. I received word from Gaara that the Shukaku, before it reformed, flowed back into his chakra system. For the rest… their jinchuuriki were already dead, so it took a long time for them to actualize. The Eight-Tails, as the most powerful, was first."

Tsunade sighed. "So you're saying that the other six will eventually be on the rampage again."

"That's right," he replied grimly. "But… they'll all be weaker than the Eight-Tails and they won't necessarily attack Konoha." After a pause, he asked, "What will we do?"

"We'll deal with it," said Tsunade confidently. "And under no circumstances are you to do what you did with the Eight-Tails, understand? That _Chou Oodama Rasenshuriken (Ultimate Spiraling Shuriken)_ of yours is even _more_ forbidden than the regular version!"

He grinned. "That doesn't make sense, Baa-chan."

"You know what I mean!" she roared, flustered. "What will you do about your team, your friends, your village, if you die in the line of duty? What will you do for _Hinata?_ She _needs_ you. I'm sure Kakashi told you that being a great shinobi requires caring for your comrades, but that doesn't mean just keeping them safe physically. Do you understand?"

With a solemn smile, he said, "Yeah. Yeah, I definitely do."

"Good," she said, returning his expression. "Then I made the right choice for my successor."

"So…" he said, twiddling his thumbs pseudo-nonchalantly, "When am I becoming Hokage?"

"Five years," she said plainly.

He goggled at her. "Wha – fuh… five _years?"_

She relished his reaction. "Yes. Five years."

He blinked at her. "Why so _looong?_"

"Starting tomorrow, during your downtime, you will be receiving training-"

"But I'm strong enough already!"

"-To learn what it means to be a political leader. I personally think you'd be ready in no time, but the elders have tied my hands."

He pouted. "So what am I supposed to do until then?"

"I would suggest getting your own students," she said with a kind smile. "I think you'd be able to train them well."

"Not a bad idea," he said, grinning, "I'll think about it. So can I go, then? Hinata doesn't like it if I'm not there when she wakes up."

"She's still asleep?" Tsunade asked, brow lifted. "Why would she-" she blushed. "Oooh." _"I guess she found the shop, then." _"Yeah, you can go."

"Thanks!" he said and bolted from the building, eventually passing the Yakiniku restaurant on the way.

Inside, Shikamaru was trying to enjoy some brunch with his teammates. After a long night of pouring over woefully over-procrastinated paperwork, a relaxing meal with his closest friends was just what he needed and so, his morning was perfect. Of course, that was what he wished he could believe, if Ino were not babbling at a million words a minute. "And then, she bought, like, this skimpy little frilly thing, and she seemed nervous, but when Saeko-san told her to pose, I was like, 'Holy shit, she is incredible!' and then she told Saeko-san to bring her a smaller size, and at first I was like, 'Why would she do that?' but then I realized she just wanted to accentuate those amazing boobs of hers, and can you really blame her? I mean, they just go _out to here_, and Naruto must've been knocked the hell out by either the sight or the weight of those mammoths, and- Hey, are you listening to me!?"

Ino had asked this outraged question due to seeing Shikamaru rub his temples in frustration. "Yes, Ino, I have unfortunately been listening. You went to the naughty shop, you saw Hinata, couldn't resist helping her shop because you gave into your womanly impulses and then were overtaken by your jealousy of her 'amazing boobs,' as you say. That about right?"

She sputtered for a moment before shrieking, "I am _not_ jealous! I have a perfect body!"

"You think so?"

"I know so!"

"Then why do you continue to do your crazy diets?" Shikamaru asked, knowing the question would strike her. He was now fully invested in being supercilious. She was, as his genius had planned, completely stunned, blood pumping angrily through her veins. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Maybe you want to chow down some more and stop making fun of Chouji, eh? Right, Chouji?"

"I don't want to get involved…" Chouji muttered quietly.

The red faded from Ino's face. "Well, what would you know about women, idiot?" she said haughtily, nose turned up. Shikamaru shrugged, returning to his meal. However, a few seconds later, Chouji reached for a piece of beef only to have his hand gripped like a vise by Ino. "_Lay a hand on that meat and you lose it, fatso!"_ she bellowed, fangs bared and a vein throbbing in her forehead. Chouji, normally ready to object to the theft of food and the insult to his girth, cowered beneath Ino's fury. As he withdrew, all traces of rage, save her eyes, faded from Ino's visage and she happily munched on the meat, humming to herself. Shikamaru laughed inwardly, giving Chouji some of his own food to replenish his stock and console his friend.

Shikamaru glanced at his watch. "Eh, sorry, guys, I'm gonna get going. Ino, try not to rip off Chouji's head. Chouji, try not to get your head ripped off by Ino." Paying his part of the tab, he left the fearful Chouji and the seemingly content Ino, though she still held fire in her eyes.

The truth was that Shikamaru needed a walk to clear his thoughts. His way of life had changed since Asuma's death. He was still easygoing, but now found motivation to aspire to be the best shinobi possible. He had, despite himself, become a jounin and subsequently ANBU soldier. He did not take on the largest load of missions, opting instead to help raise Asuma and Kurenai's child. Furthermore, his future had been completely redefined. He didn't want to marry a girl who was "not too pretty or too ugly," or to have a set-in-stone plan for his children. In fact, he had eyes for quite the beautiful Kunoichi…

A heavy tap on the shoulder by a large, metallic implement startled him out of his introspection. He turned around to see Temari, waving enthusiastically, wielding her large fan and smiling cheekily. "Hey!" she said brightly.

"Temari…?" he asked quietly, dazed, then recovered. "Uh, Hey! Wh-what're you doing here?"

"Hello?" she said sarcastically, "I'm the ambassador to this place, remember? I'm here for the chuunin exams."

"Oh. Right," he said sheepishly. "Right, so, you're going to be here for a while?"

"Yep. Of course, you decided to join up with the _ANBU,_ so we don't get to hang out as much anymore."

"We can still hang out. I've got a light load, no missions coming up."

"I'm actually free for a bit right now," she said kindly. "Wanna take a walk?"

He had been ready to reply, but stopped. His mind, constantly plotting out his next step, had identified the best moment in which to confront Temari. "Actually… I was wondering if you'd like to, I dunno, go catch a movie and some dinner, later?"

"That'd be cool," she said pleasantly. His heart leapt until she said, "Who else would come?"

Of course, carrying out the plan was different from formulating it. "Uh… no one. Just us… if that's okay."

"What… are you trying to say?" she asked quietly.

He babbled for a bit, "Well, you see, that is-"

Rolling her eyes, she groaned, "Oh my God, I can't believe this. Nara Shikamaru, the great planner, the master strategist, the slayer of the immortal, doesn't have the balls to say, 'Hey Temari, you sexy, sexy Goddess, you, want to go out with me?'"

He blinked and after a pause, smoothly said, "Hey Temari… want to go out with me?"

She smiled. "Well, you adlibbed a bit, but it'll pass." Leaning in and giving him a quick peck on the cheek, she strode by him and added, "Pick me up at seven. I'll be in the embassy." She waved and was gone, leaving a dazed yet satisfied Shikamaru behind to rub his cheek and smile.

--

"So you're probably wondering why I called you here, Sasuke-san," said the leader of the ANBU behind a dragon mask in the office of the military police.

"Yes," said Sasuke.

"Well, I've been observing your work recently. You've received great praise from your comrades and other squads. They call you a genius."

"Thank you."

"I'll cut to the chase. I want you, Uchiha Sasuke, to be the new head of Konoha's ANBU."

Sasuke blinked. "What, really?"

"Yes. Your father's old position and this mask," she handed Sasuke her dragon mask, revealing a surprisingly gentle, feminine face, "Are yours."

He stared at the eyeholes of the mask for a moment. "But…what about Naruto?"

She recalled Tsunade's words about Naruto acting as her successor and her orders to keep it mostly quiet. "Well, let's just say his skills are best applied elsewhere."

"Huh…" he muttered, "I don't… I don't know what to say."

"You can say 'Thank you, ma'am, I'll be sure to do my best.'"

He chuckled. "Yeah, let's go with that."

Rising to shake his hand, she smiled and said, "Well, this is the last time I get to say this to you: you're dismissed… Commander."

Sasuke shook her hand, bowing deep before exiting the building, dragon mask in hand and muttering to himself, "I should go find Sakura, maybe Naruto and Kakashi, we can go get some food…"

Meanwhile, Umino Iruka was enjoying a pleasant afternoon in the Academy. He'd been given front desk duty, which in turn gave him a nice break from the irritating children. He loved teaching them very much, but they could test his nerves every once in a while. It was quiet at the front desk, and he was able to catch up on reading a novel he'd started long ago.

Suddenly, a voice above him said, "Hi, where can I apply to become a Jounin instructor? Iruka's head shot upwards to see Naruto staring down at him, grinning. "Hey, sensei," he said coolly.

"Naruto…" he muttered. Sputtering, he quickly fumbled for some papers. "Uh, here you go! It's really great of you to do this!"

"Thanks, sensei. Hey, why don't you and I go out for some ramen later?" he said, the grin still adorning his features. "I've got some money now, anyway." Iruka nodded and Naruto, having filled out the paperwork, exploded in a puff of smoke.

"_Kagebunshin, eh?"_ Iruka thought, pleased. _"Good to know some things don't change."_

Naruto, back at home, lay next to his sleeping lover, twirling a lock of hair around his finger. He loved the silken feeling of the tresses, which she had grown to perfection to suit her appearance. She was perfect to him, in all aspects: Her body was impeccable, her mind was powerful and her heart was pure. He moved in close to her ear and whispered, "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she muttered, to Naruto's surprise, and rolled over to face him. "Good morning, sweety."

"Hey…" he uttered softly, "How're you doing?"

"I'm doing well, but," she stretched adorably, "because it's your fault I can't walk well, you should carry me, right?"

He smiled. _"How can she look so demure after what we did last night?"_ he thought, pleased. "Of course," he said, running a hand over her cheek, "I'd carry you anywhere."

She gave him a quick kiss. "I have something for you when I'm… not as sore," she whispered into her ear.

"I can't wait," he said smoothly.

"So what did Tsunade-sama want?"

"Ah, she just wanted to," he paused, not wanting to bring up the topic of the Tailed Beasts, "-to tell me that I'm gonna be Hokage in five years."

She tilted her head. "Why so long?"

"Well, I didn't agree," he said, rolling his eyes, "but baa-chan thinks I've got to do some diplomatic training, or whatever, I dunno. Anyway, in the meantime, I registered to become a Jounin instructor."

"Ooh, that's wonderful," she cooed. "You'll do great… after all, look how far you brought someone like me."

He grinned. "Nah, you've got talent comin' out your ears!" She responded with a kiss to his cheek.

Suddenly, a knocking came at the door. "Hey, it's me. Open up," Sasuke's voice called.

Naruto leapt and opened the door. "Yo, Sasuke! What's up?"

"Check this out," he said, revealing the dragon mask.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Woah! Is that…?"

"Yeah," said Sasuke, grinning, "They just promoted me to head of ANBU. I'm your boss now."

"Like I'll take any orders from you!" Naruto spat.

Ignoring this, Sasuke asked, "So, you two wanna go get some food? Sakura and Kakashi are coming along."

Naruto nodded. "Sure, we'll meet you there," he said, knowing the spot of their usual eatery, and Sasuke walked off.

After informing Hinata, the two dressed and she was hefted onto Naruto's back with a squeal. "I wasn't serious when I said you should carry me!"

He smiled. "It's alright. I like doin' it."

She leaned into his neck, wrapping her arms around him. "Well then," she said, nuzzling the nape of his neck softly, "Then I might as well enjoy it."

A few minutes later, they arrived at the restaurant, greeted by Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and Shizune and soon they were dining. Naruto had begun recounting an anecdote of his training years: "So then Ero-sennin asks, 'Well, what's your name, sexy thing?' and the person says in this deep, gruff voice, 'Daisuke.' I swear to God, Ero-sennin turned and vomited right on the bartender." Everyone cracked up; Sasuke let out a small chortle through a grin, Sakura rapidly covered her mouth to avoid spurting her drink out, Hinata chuckled demurely, hand on mouth, and Kakashi and Shizune laughed pleasantly. "I guess it just goes to show, shinobi must look underneath the underneath, right sensei?"

"True, though if Jiraiya-sama had looked underneath the underneath, he might have seen something unpleasant," Kakashi returned, with another chorus of laughter following. As it died down, he continued, "So here we are to celebrate Sasuke's promotion to ANBU head."

"Stupid Sharingan, so cheap…" Naruto muttered quietly.

"What was that?" Kakashi asked.

"Nothing," Naruto quickly returned. "Anyway, cheers!"

"Cheers!" agreed the rest, clinking their glasses together and continuing their meals.

As they ate, Naruto couldn't help but notice that Hinata was once again consuming quite the fair share of food. _"She couldn't be pregnant again, could she…?"_ he wondered, but quickly dismissed it, being able to recall every instance of having cast the Protection Jutsu perfectly. _"I can't be getting nervous every time she eats a lot, I'll go crazy. Maybe she's just really hungry."_ Dismissing this thought, he hastily returned to his meal.

Meanwhile, Ino and Chouji, enjoying a lack of missions, sat together on a bench near the dumplings shop. Ino, as she looked in a mirror, pouted. "Oh… maybe Shikamaru is right…" she muttered.

Chouji frowned. "He was just joking, Ino, don't worry about it."

"But it's true… I don't think anything good of my body." Her expression had fallen to a grimace.

Chouji shook his head. "I don't think so. Even though it doesn't matter much… I think you're beautiful."

Ino blushed softly. As her expression shifted to a smile, she said, "Thanks, Chouji… you've actually grown up pretty handsome, you know."

A blush adorned his features as well. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she said sweetly.

"… Thanks, Ino," he replied quietly, and the two sat on the bench, admiring the sky like their friend for a good, long time.

A while later, Shikamaru and Temari had stepped out of a different, classier restaurant, Temari leaning on Shikamaru's shoulder as she stumbled along the road. "Boy, it sure is na-hice that being the Ambassador to this place gets me free stuff, eh? Like that free wine. Mm. Lot of it, y'know," she finished, hiccupping a little.

"I know," Shikamaru said plainly, enjoying the warmth from her cheek pressed against his.

"Didja have a good time?" she asked waveringly. "I did. I had a good time. Yeah. How 'bout you? I hope you had a good time, mm."

"I had a great time," he replied. "All thanks to you, of course."

"Naaaahh, it just happens, y'know!" she giggled for a bit. "But I would like to make it worth your while, if you get what I'm saying."

They had reached the entrance to Temari's hotel and were slowly climbing the steps. Luckily, her room was on the second floor, so little stumbling occurred in the interim. "I'd like that," he began, fumbling for the keys she'd given him, her hand too unstable to utilize them, "Except…"

"Except…? C'maaawn, pretty pleeeeease?" she begged, running her hand down his chest.

"You're drunk, Temari… I wouldn't want to take advantage of that."

She frowned. "You know, fer a guy who's supposedly _brilliant_, you are really, _really_ stupid. Like, seriously."

Eyebrow raised, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean first of all, I've wanted you for a long, _looong_ time."

"You… you have?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. Lemme finish. Second, you're drunk too. You don't know it, but your words have been slurred for a whiiile. And third…" a foxy grin grew, "Maybe you didn't realize, but your hand has been groping my fine ass ever since we walked out of the restaurant." By this time, Shikamaru had opened the door and was standing near Temari's bed, still holding her, on the precipice of something potentially incredible. Suddenly, she detached herself from him. "So stop being such a _pussy_," she said, kicking him down onto the bed, "And be a _man_ for me."

She pounced on him, displaying great ambidextrous skill as she unbuttoned his top and hers at the same time. He donned a devious grin. "Yeah… I think I can get behind that," he said, and began assisting her in their strip-down.

Later, as the celebration of Sasuke's promotion winded down, the various couples parted ways. Naruto and Hinata, arm in arm, ambled down the streets when suddenly, Hinata whispered, "Let's hurry home, Naruto-kun. I have that surprise I was telling you about ready."

He turned to her, eyes widened at her tone. She was smiling a sly smile. It was a devious smile.

But most of all, it was a _sexy_ smile. And while all of her smiles brought an immaculate chorus to his heart, this particular smile really struck a chord. In a second, he disappeared, having swept underneath Hinata and had her cradled in his arms, beginning his leaps and bounds home. In mere minutes they were home, Naruto's face turned giddy like a child wildly anticipating a new toy. Layer after layer of clothing was discarded, and as all except his boxers had been thrown away, he caught sight of his darling. She was clad solely in the same lingerie she'd blown off herself and oddly enough, a fully unzipped jacket. Naruto's eagerness, along with a certain something else, swelled.

"Let's get down to business," he said hungrily, catching her cheeks in his hands and laying his lips onto hers. He wanted her taste in his mouth again, and quickly activated the first Gate.

She pulled back as she felt the surge of pleasure. "Okay…" she said calmly, taking a step backwards. "Now it's my turn. This is a move I created myself, just for you… _Ero jutsu (Pervy Technique),"_ she began, forming a few seals.

Naruto blinked. _"_Ero jutsu?" he thought to himself, _"Since when does she know any of those?"_

"_Bubun Baika: Oppai (Partial Multi-size: Tits)"_ As she finished, a silence filled the air for but a moment.

"_Bubun Baika…"_ Naruto spoke, throat dry. "That's… that's…"

"Chouji-kun's technique, I know," she said, smiling. "I based it off of his family's jutsu… unfortunately, mine takes a few seconds to kick in. I believe it is worth the wait, Naruto-kun."

Naruto's thoughts were racing, and he finally managed to form a coherent sentence. "But… the reason it's specific to the Akimichi clan is because it takes a lot of…" The pieces clicked in an instant, "… a lot of calories." She smiled and he knew he'd hit it right on the head. That, he realized, was the reason she'd been eating so much… to store energy for this jutsu!

She gasped and moaned sharply. "It's starting…" she groaned.

Naruto could barely believe his eyes as right in front of them, her breasts, large and perfect already, began to _swell_. The lingerie she'd used once again snapped off of her chest, allowing her boobs to bounce and jiggle freely. This, however, was no optical illusion like the time before. This was actually happening. "This… this has to be genjutsu," he pleaded, not wanting to get his hopes up only for them to be shattered.

"This is one hundred percent real," she assured him. "Go ahead. Feel them." She cupped her expanding bosom and hefted them towards him.

His hands, quivering, approached the mass of flesh, feeling their retained softness, no stretch-marks added, and his erection throbbed chaotically, sending aftershocks through his body, as he felt resistance _pushing_ against his hands. Naruto was absolutely fixated, wondering how amazingly large she'd get. _"Holy shit,"_ he thought, amazed, "_She's _huge_! She's almost as large as… no, she's even _bigger_ than Tsunade-baachan! Whole _sizes_ bigger! She's gotta have a strong back…"_

Hinata smiled as she witnessed her effect on Naruto. Finally, the tables had turned. Finally, she was in control. Finally, he was her _prey._ She began rezipping the jacket for effect, stopping after she found resistance: her breasts were simply too large for it to contain. "But what makes this a true _Ero-jutsu,_" she said, moaning throughout, "Is that the bigger they get… the more sen…si…_tiiiiive!"_

Naruto breathed, almost silently, "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me," and leapt into action, grasping handful after handful of meat as roughly as he could, enjoying her screams of delight. Just then, his tactical ingenuity shining through, an idea struck him. Quickly, expertly, he opened the gates up to number six: the Gate that by the time it opened, awakens many more erogenous zones and increases sexual sensitivity manifold. Hinata's brain caught on fire and she began shrieking as Naruto groped and sucked her enormous tits as hard as he could. She screamed in one long pitch and Naruto's heart thumped. "_She just orgasmed... from me just fondling her jugs! Dear God, Hinata, what kind of genius are you to make this jutsu? It's almost… like the ultimate 'counter' to the Eight Gates!"_

And yet, she persisted, gearing up for yet another series of orgasms. Naruto initiated the seventh gate and it was then that the madness truly began. Automatically casting the Protection Jutsu, he thrust into her, activating the eighth gate and sending them both to nirvana. They were no longer human, merely male and female souls in their primal form, enjoying the slapping, grinding, pounding and uniting of their flesh as much as any soul could.

Naruto came to a number of unknown hours later. Hinata's breasts had shrank to their normal, though still quite large size. Judging by the sunlight, he'd woken up sometime around noon. Hinata, not possessing his incredible stamina, was absolutely gone, sleeping like an angel. He gave her a sweet kiss and she stirred, smiling peacefully. After scribbling down a note, he donned his usual garb and left for the academy.

"Where is our sensei?" asked Izumi, one of the three remaining academy students, an orange-haired Kunoichi.

"Probably stalling," said Kintarou, the second of the three, a green-haired Shinobi.

"I wasn't asking _you_, stupid!" she snapped and Kintarou flinched. "What do you think, Gonosuke-kun?"

Gonosuke didn't reply. Instead, he turned towards the door, his fiery red hair flowing aside with him.

Suddenly, the door creaked open and Naruto stepped through. "Aha, sorry I'm late…"

"Hmph," said Gonosuke. "Let's just get on with it."

"Sorry? We've been here _three goddamned hours!"_ Kintarou grumbled.

"Don't you talk to sensei like that!" Izumi roared, whacking Kintarou upside his head. "I'm sorry about him, sensei. I'm sure you had good reason to be late!" she said, playing the part of the innocent apologetic.

"_Woah. It really is déjà vu all over again."_ Thought Naruto, a bit weirded out. He glanced at Gonosuke. _"That'd be like Sasuke, years ago…" _he moved to Izumi, who was still chastising Kintarou, "_That's Sakura-chan…"_ and finally, he switched his gaze to Kintarou, who sat rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, a stupid grin on his face. _"And… is that really me? Geez. This explains a few things. Oh well, at least I get to be Kakashi-sensei now."_ "Alright," he said, "So let's get started… follow me to the training ground." Nostalgia filled him as they reached the field. "Let's start with introductions."

"Huh?" said Kintarou. "What do you mean?"

"Y'know… likes, dislikes, dreams. That sort of thing."

"We don't really know about you, though," said Izumi. "Why don't you start us off, sensei?"

"Huh. Fine," he said. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto." He grinned devilishly at the thought of giving them what he called the "Kakashi treatment." "I like a lot of things, dislike some, and my goal… well, it doesn't matter to you at the moment."

They stared, frustrated, and he relished that. "Okay," said Izumi. "I'm Fuyuno Izumi."

"_Even similar names. Geez, If this were a story, I'd call it lazily written."_ thought Naruto.

"I like… a certain person…" she blushed, "and I dislike _Kintarou."_

"_Ouch."_ Naruto frowned.

"My dream is to be like our Hokage, Tsunade-sama! A great kunoichi and medic!"

"Okay," said Naruto, "Moving on. How about you, redhead?"

His scowl remained as he spoke. "My name is Tsurugi Gonosuke. I don't care for much except getting the job done. Nothing else really matters."

"_Huh. Moody little bastard, isn't he?"_ Naruto mused. "And you. Fool face."

"Fool face?!" he griped indignantly. After grumbling for a second, he continued, "My name is Tenki Kintarou. I like beef-dumplings, hate when they mix up my order…"

"_Yeesh…"_ thought Naruto, painfully recalling his own answer to Kakashi's question.

"And my goal is to become a great, legendary shinobi, known all around the world!" Naruto smiled at the answer he'd hoped to receive.

"Alright," he said, "Onto your first training exercise… or should I say, your final graduation exercise?" Before one of them could yell in outrage, he continued, "Yep. Even though you've passed the academy, you might just be sent right back there. Your final test…" he said, rummaging around in his pocket for a moment before retrieving the familiar bells of the dreaded test, "is to get these bells from me. If you do, you pass."

They blinked. "But sensei," said Izumi, confused, "there are only two bells…"

"Exactly," said Naruto. "Only two of you will be able to get them. The other… well, whoever doesn't will get sent back to the academy."

"_What!?"_ bellowed Kintarou. "We had to take that balls-to-the-wall difficult test and now we might be failed before we even begin!? This is bullshit!"

"Heheh," Naruto chuckled.

"What's so funny?!" Kintarou raged.

"Nothing, nothing," Naruto said, preparing to lie, "just that your kind is always the one that fails." Kintarou had been ready to yell something back, but the tone in Naruto's voice struck worry into him. "So," Naruto said, standing and hooking the bells to his belt with a jingling sound, "Go."

Naruto disappeared instantly and after a moment of hesitation, the three young shinobi did the same. Kintarou was the first to find Naruto. "Hey!" he called.

"Oh. You. Whatever have you come here for?" Naruto said sarcastically.

"I'm gonna take those bells from you!" Kintarou roared, leaping at Naruto, who easily dodged.

"_I don't need to do _Sennen Goroshi (One Thousand Years of Death)_ on this kid,"_ thought Naruto mercifully.

"Mock me, will you?" Kintarou grumbled and began forming seals that Naruto recognized. _"Kuchiyose no jutsu (Summoning technique)_!"

Naruto's eyes widened, believing that he had underestimated this child. His expression returned to normal when he realized that the summoning had yielded a small, brown egg. "So… that's it, huh."

Kintarou, fist clenched, leapt away, yelling, "I'll be back!" Naruto rolled his eyes and leaned against a tree.

The test continued as expected for Naruto. Gonosuke had attacked with a Raiton jutsu which Naruto was able to deflect and then use to subdue the genin. Izumi had bolted after realizing Naruto was behind her. But eventually, Kintarou reappeared.

"I told you I'd be back!" he announced.

"Yep," Naruto said nonchalantly. Kintarou began his run towards what Naruto assumed were the bells and began to prepare an easy block. Suddenly, however, Kintarou was joined by his two teammates, running behind him. Naruto lowered his guard for a second, intrigued, and allowed Kintarou to execute his plan.

Kintarou had completely avoided the bells and had wrapped his arms around Naruto's chest. "Gonosuke! Izumi-chan! Take the bells, now!" Both the others were surprised.

"What are you talking about, idiot?" Gonosuke growled.

"Just shut up and do it!" Izumi quickly snatched at the bells, tossing one to Gonosuke. Before it could land in his palm, however, he ripped Kintarou off of Naruto and placed the bell in his hand. Izumi panicked, flinging her own bell at Gonosuke, while Kintarou likewise gave his bell to Izumi.

While the bells were in midair, however, they vanished. Naruto appeared in the center of them, holding the bells. "Well, well, I didn't think it would happen…" he muttered as the three stared on in amazement at Naruto's speed. "You guys… you pass."

"Huh?" said Kintarou while Gonosuke and Izumi gaped.

"The point of the exercise wasn't my defeat or your own personal glory… you guys figured out that it was teamwork, that the good of the team was more important than victory. You realized that while it's true that shinobi who do not follow orders are trash…" Naruto's eyes grew fierce, "shinobi who do not protect their comrades are lower than trash!" The three smiled. "And you have shown me that… I'm witnessing the birth of three very special shinobi," he said, mussing Kintarou's and Gonosuke's hair. "Now… what do you say we go get something to eat?"

Izumi and Kintarou cheered and began to follow Naruto. Gonosuke pulled up to Kintarou and whispered, "Listen. I appreciate what you did, but I don't want you pulling that crap anymore… I can take of myself, idiot."

Kintarou grinned. "The same goes for you, jerk."

Though they did not reveal it, both smiled, pleased.

--

Five years passed, amazingly without any major struggles for Naruto and Hinata. Naruto's students had grown from Genin to Chuunin to Jounin, having just graduated that day. Kintarou and Gonosuke had resolved their rivalry, becoming the best of friends, with Izumi growing close to both. It was peaceful. It was nice.

It was too good, Naruto believed.

Perhaps his experiences had made him jaded, but he was distrusting of the times of quiet. He always expected something to pop up and ruin things.

Kintarou, Izumi, and Gonosuke, fresh out of graduating to Jounin, were hanging out near the village gates, relishing their new promotions. "This is so cool!" Kintarou yelled, excited. "We're jounin now, just like sensei!"

"We're not like sensei quite yet, idiot," said Gonosuke with a grin.

"True, but it's still nice," said Izumi, "I mean, we've just-" Suddenly, she noticed something: a woman standing just outside the gates.

All three turned to see the woman. Gonosuke called in a serious tone, "Who are you? State your purpose for visiting the village or face the consequences!"

The woman did not respond. She stumbled forward, allowing the trio to see that she was heavily wounded, her skin incredibly, unnaturally pale. Izumi rushed forward, followed by her comrades. "Miss, are you okay?" she asked, worried. The woman raised her head, moaning, and Izumi, now a skilled medic, gasped. "Oh my God…"

"What is it?" asked Kintarou.

"She…" Izumi gulped, her breathing heavy. "This woman… is already dead!"

"What?!" Kintarou yelled. "What the he- how is this possible?"

"I don't know…" Izumi murmured. She was, for the first time in years, afraid of this unknown being.

Gonosuke's eyes widened as out of the woman's mouth and eyes poured red, fiery chakra. Two tails began to form behind her. He turned to Izumi. "Go… get… sensei," he muttered in a whisper. "_Now."_

"B-b-but what about you?" she stammered.

"Kintarou and I will hold this… thing off. You need to get Naruto-sensei here _fast._"

Izumi gulped. "Al… alright. Please, be careful!" They did not respond as she leapt away, into the village. Luckily, she knew where Naruto's favorite spot was.

Naruto had seated himself pleasantly at the Ichiraku ramen stand. As his order cooked, he recalled that Hinata would be returning from her mission today, planting a smile on his face. "Order up, Naruto!" said old man Ichiraku.

"Ahh, delicious," Naruto whispered, reaching out for the bowl.

Just then, Izumi landed next to him, panting and sweating. "Naruto-sensei!" she said worriedly.

"What is it, Izumi?" he asked, concerned.

"Th- there's this thing, and, it's like a monster or something, she's a dead woman, and-"

"Hold on, you're not making any sense," said Naruto.

"I don't know what it is, but Kintarou and Gonosuke-kun are fighting it, it's got, like, two chakra tails, and-"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Where are they?" he asked.

"At the gates," she said quickly.

Naruto produced a bunshin, who performed a chakra-powered leap into the air and dispersed. Naruto, with this new information, whipped out a _Hiraishin_ kunai, took Izumi's arm, and said, "Hold on tight." Throwing the kunai in a wide arc, he yelled, "_Hiraishin no jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)!_" They warped, landing right between Gonosuke and Kintarou and the Two-Tails. Both of Naruto's students were battered and beaten by the monster before them. "You two did well," Naruto said calmly. "Now step back."

"What?!" said Kintarou incredulously, "Sensei, we should team up! You can't fight this thing solo!"

"I agree," said Gonosuke, "We should team up and attack together."

Naruto grinned. "Heh… in all these years, you still haven't seen me fight with all I've got…" He turned to them, his pupils like slits, shocking all three of them. "Again… step back. You don't want to get caught up in this." They did as ordered, frightened and amazed at the light radiating from Naruto's body. He produced two _bunshin_ who began cradling the space around Naruto's palm. _"I still can't do this one handed… but then again, it isn't my main chakra type."_ A blue ball appeared in the _bunshin_'s palm, and from it began to extend what looked like a long pole one end and a blade on the other.

"Oh my God…" said Kintarou.

"Wow…" said Izumi.

The _bunshin_ held up the finished form. "Here I go!" he cried, rushing at the Two-Tails, "_Rasenyari (Spiraling Spear)!"_ and plunged the jutsu into the demon cat's chakra-flesh. A huge blast enveloped the Two-Tails, the force of many tidal waves continuously crashing at its body. When the water settled, all that lay was Yugito's corpse.

Naruto picked her up. At the time that he'd connected with the jutsu, it was as though he'd seen her life: the shunning, the abandonment, the struggle… all of it resonated with Naruto heavily. He passed a hand over her eyes and said, "Rest, now, Yugito. Your time in this life is over."

A few seconds passed before Izumi quietly asked, "Sensei… who is she?"

He sighed. "Her name is Nii Yugito, and she was the container for the demon cat, the Two-tailed beast. It was a demon of fire, vengeance and anger… it possessed her body and used it to gain revenge on the world by killing all it could… But… she was killed, long ago, by evil, conniving, megalomaniacs. I just wish… I could've saved her." A moment of silence emerged. "Here," said Naruto, breaking the silence and handing the body to Izumi, "Take this to the Hokage and… tell her to give her a good funeral." Izumi nodded and leapt away, Gonosuke and Kintarou accompanying her.

Naruto sighed once more and went home to wait for his beloved.

When she arrived, Naruto had prepared a picnic basket for them to share while they sat at a spot they enjoyed: a patch of grass near the top of the Fourth Hokage's face on the mountain. Hinata noticed Naruto's faraway look and asked, "What's wrong, sweety?"

Slowly, he smiled. "Nothing… I'm just so grateful for my life… that I have my friends, my village… and most of all, you."

She beamed her wonderful smile back at him. "I love you too, Naruto-kun."

Minute by minute, they ate from the picnic basket, and eventually Hinata mentioned, "Tomorrow's the big day, Naruto-kun… you're going to become Hokage, after all this time!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I am…"

"Are you nervous?"

"Nah. I don't think it's hit me yet, exactly. Hinata, how long have we known each other?" he said abruptly.

"Hmm," she muttered, recollecting, "About… fifteen years?"

"That so…? And how long have we been dating?"

"Six years or so, depending on how you look at it."

"I see."

"Why do you ask?"

"Well," he said, "I'd say it's because… I don't want to date you anymore."

Hinata's world fell apart before her eyes. Of course, her first thought was, _"Why? What could have changed? Didn't he just say he was grateful most of all for me? Is it my looks…? No, Naruto-kun would never judge like that. Did I say something hurtful? Was it the Hokage thing?"_ The tears began to flow, _"Oh, what did I do? Why do I always have to ruin the good things in my life, and… what's he doing?"_ She had noticed him fumbling around in his pocket.

He retrieved a small black box. Hinata's breath ceased as he opened it, revealing a golden ring with a tremendous sapphire on it, two pearls on either side. "I want to marry you." Hinata covered her mouth, afraid to speak. "Will you give me the greatest gift possible… and be my wife?"

The energy welled up inside her, and Hinata was relatively certain she was shaking from the pressure. She leapt at him, tackled him to the floor as he managed to keep the ring steady, kissing him as fervently as she could, not knowing how long it lasted, until she finally ran out of breath.

"So… is that yes?" he asked smoothly.

"Yes," she whispered into his ear, tears of elation streaming down her reddened cheeks. "A million times, a billion times… Yes, my love. Yes. I love you."

"I love you so much," he replied, slipping the ring onto her finger, "I love you."

--

The next day, Tsunade walked into what would be her office for the last time. She smiled at the memories she'd gathered from this office over the years. "_Best to get this over with,"_ she thought. Performing the seals, she muttered, _"Kuchiyose no jutsu."_ A slug appeared before her. She placed a hand into its flesh and spoke, her voice amplified by the slug's jutsu, "Citizens of Konohagakure, please gather outside the Hokage mansion. All academy students, genin, chuunin, _everyone_, come quickly. This is an order."

Soon, the people had congregated. Mutterings had spread throughout the crowd of the reason for this assembly. Was there a new threat? A new event? A new ally? Suddenly, Tsunade stepped onto the balcony and the chattering ceased. "I have called you here today," she said loud and clear, "Because I am stepping down as Hokage of this village." The chattering resumed, twice as loud, until Tsunade raised her hand to quiet them. "But, as you may have guessed, this means that I am picking a successor. The man I have chosen is a great human being. He has overcome more than any of us. He has become a figure to be respected and honored. He is a great asset to this village, this nation, and to the world. He is…" she paused dramatically, "Uzumaki Naruto."

"Someone say my name?" said Naruto, appearing as he leapt from the top of the Hokage building. There was a silence as Tsunade handed him the helmet and robe of the Hokage.

Suddenly, a vigorous clap began. Hinata's hands slapped together over and over. Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and Shizune soon joined her. Then Iruka began as well, his students following suit. The rest of his class plus Team Guy and the rest of the Jounins were cheering raucously, and quickly the entire village was rejoicing over this decision. Naruto donned the robe, leaving the helmet on the floor, folding his arms and standing tall for effect.

"Well," said Tsunade, pleased, "You've finally achieved your dream. How does it feel?"

He grinned a toothy grin. "It feels great, Tsunade," he said, and looked to the blue, sunny sky. "It feels really, really great."

--

Ahh, Naruto's got everything he wanted. Case closed, right? But wait! The story's not over yet! We got one more hurdle or two to cross, and you're gonna have to review to find out!

I hope the sex scenes weren't too weird for you guys… but I know some of you'll appreciate them. So, kudos. And again, this goes out to all boob fans everywhere, and my best homey's dad. Best of luck.


	8. Venom

Whee

Whee! Even though the chapter came out waaaaay late, you guys jumped on the reviews super quick! I love you guys so much!

Chapter Eight: Venom

"So give me a recap," said Naruto, "What happened this week?" Naruto had awakened in his apartment, a much larger one he'd moved into years ago, with Hinata resting on his chest, tracing circles around his solar plexus.

"Well…" she said in a dulcet tone, "Your students became Jounin… You defeated another tailed beast – _without_ dying this time. Then…" she blushed, "You proposed to me, and I accepted…" He gave her a quick kiss. "And finally… you were given the role of Hokage."

"It's been a good week," said Naruto.

"I'll say." Hinata smiled, admiring her ring. "It's so beautiful…" she turned to Naruto, "Say, why don't you and I-" She stopped, a sharp intake of breath truncating her sentence.

"Hinata?" Naruto asked, worried. "What's wrong?" Hinata immediately began coughing heavily, blood coming out in small drops. "Hinata!" Thankfully, both of them were clothed as Naruto pulled open the window, picked up Hinata's body, and leapt out towards the hospital. Engaging Fox Form, he muttered, "Hang on, Hinata… It'll be okay…"

He arrived at the hospital a few seconds later. Hinata's coughs had lessened, but horrific wheezing had emerged and her pallor had whitened severely. "Hey," he called to two medics in conversation. "Hey!" he yelled again, catching their attention. "She's sick. Really sick. Get her some help or I'll rip this entire building apart by myself. Got it?"

The two medics glanced at each other, then raced to accept Hinata from Naruto's hands. "Yes, Hokage-sama. Absolutely."

Naruto breathed a sigh of miniscule relief and followed the two medics. He was unused to being addressed as "Hokage-sama" and had thus been rash with the threat. As they approached the room Hinata was to be put in, the medics requested Naruto watch from outside. He complied and watched them as they began to work. They placed a breath mask on her, injected her with some medicine or another, and hooked her up to a bag of blood. Naruto's heart pounded in worry.

A few minutes passed before Sakura came running down the hall. "Naruto!" she called, "I got word of what happened… I'm here to help." Naruto nodded, unable to speak from the knot in his stomach. Sakura entered the room and began running her glowing hands over Hinata. Naruto was further disconcerted by Sakura's grimace.

Eventually, she exited the room and Naruto steeled himself to say, "So…what's wrong with her?"

Sakura shook her head. "I… can't say… It's some kind of illness I've never seen before. Her organs aren't exactly shutting down; they're just… all weakening, all at once. Maybe it's a rare disease, a virus, an allergic reaction or even… a poison."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You're telling me someone could have poisoned Hinata?"

"It's a possibility. I need you to tell me everything that's happened in the last few days."

"W-well," he did his best to calm his mind as he tried to recall the last week. "Uh, sh-she was going away on a mission, and so, we were eating at… where were we eating? I think… yeah, it was our favorite restaurant, you know the one…. she had salad, I had steak…"

"Could it be that the vegetables were not washed properly?" Sakura suggested.

"Maybe… I dunno, I'll go check," he said, producing a kagebunshin to go inquire about the restaurant.

"Continue," said Sakura gently.

"Okay, so, we had our food, and she seemed fine then, so then we went and… she got some flowers – picked from the garden – and she put them in a vase at home…"

"The flowers might have a toxin in them. You wouldn't be affected because you've got the Ninetails Chakra," Sakura interjected.

"Good point…" Naruto sent another clone to inspect.

"And then… and then she went on her mission… a few days later, she came back… and that's it."

Sakura brought a hand to her chin, concentrating. "Where was the mission?"

"The water country, I think."

"Did she say she interacted with anybody there?"

Naruto thought. "I think… she fought a shinobi… she didn't know what country he was from, so she brought back his Forehead Protector so that we could look in the files and see what it matched up to."

"Do you still have the Forehead Protector?" Sakura asked quickly.

"Yeah, it's in the apartment. I'll go get that too." A third _bunshin_ departed from the hospital.

"Until they get back," Sakura began, "… You should probably be with Hinata… It's always good for a sick person to have someone beside them."

"Yeah…" Naruto said quietly and entered the room with Hinata. She looked so weak, so frail; a tremendous leap backwards from her usual vibrant self. He took her hand in his: it was cold, icy cold, and Naruto felt his own soul chilled. "You'll be okay, baby," he whispered miserably. "We'll be okay."

Minutes passed. Naruto's doppelgangers returned, bearing the three objects in question, all in plastic bags to avoid possible infection. Sakura took all three and said, "We'll have these tested… then we can figure out where to go from there."

Naruto was not consoled in the least. Three different possible sources. Three reasons for her illness.

Three ways to die.

Or, conversely, none of them might be it and they'd be stuck even further. Naruto was trembling harder than he had in years. A thought struck him. _"I still… I still have duties to the village…"_ That in mind, he sent a fourth _bunshin_ to the office of the Hokage building.

Kakashi and Sasuke walked into the room hours later. "Hey, Naruto," said Sasuke somberly.

"Hey guys," he replied without turning.

"We've been informed on what happened," said Kakashi. "If you need anything… we're here for you."

"Thanks."

Sasuke scowled and activated his Sharingan. "Woah…" he said, inspecting Hinata. "Her chakra is severely disrupted… whatever's doing this isn't just attacking her organs." Naruto felt his heart thump painfully.

"Go… tell Sakura-chan…" Naruto mumbled. Sasuke nodded and walked away.

Kakashi laid what he hoped would be a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder. "She'll be fine, Naruto," he whispered. "I promise." Naruto was unresponsive. "I'll go talk to Shizune… see what she thinks about this."

"Yeah…" Naruto murmured. Hour after hour passed with no change in Hinata's condition.

Suddenly, her hand twitched. Naruto gasped as Hinata's eyes opened. "N… Naruto-kun…" she groaned, muffled by the breath mask.

"Hinata…" he breathed. "I… How are you feeling?"

"N…not well…" she replied breathily, removing the breath mask. "Wha…" she wheezed, "What's wrong… with me?"

He inhaled painfully. "We… we don't know yet."

Silence. Hinata replaced the breath mask.

"Sakura-chan's figuring it out," he added.

She lifted the mask again for a moment. "I'm… s-sorry," she coughed, "Th-that I put you th-through this…"

His heart nearly broke at her words. "… Just… Go to sleep," he said gently, grasping her hand. "Please." She nodded and quickly drifted off. _"She's sorry?"_ he thought, miserable. "_I'm the one who screwed up in taking care of her, and _she's_ sorry?! Congratulations, Uzumaki Naruto, you are officially the most pathetic human being alive. Now stop feeling sorry for yourself… remember, you've got to be strong! You're the Hokage now! And besides… she's the most precious person in your life. You have to be there for her."_

Time passed. Every so often, medics would come in, pass their glowing hands over Hinata, take various samples – it all made Naruto retch. Outside the room, his three students had arrived, all ashen-faced. "Poor sensei," said Izumi, tearing up. "And poor Hinata-san!"

"… After the battle with the Two-Tails, I asked around about sensei's life," said Gonosuke quietly. "Apparently… he's been through a hell most of us can't even fathom…"

"Yeah, I heard too," said Kintarou. "But you'd never know it, looking at him, would you? He always had his big smile, and all that energy… he's an amazing guy."

"He knows how to appreciate life," added Izumi. "And she… Hinata-san… she really made it great for him. _That's_ why, no matter what happened, he could always pick himself up. She was always so nice, I thought… they made such a great couple…" She sobbed. "I just can't believe it." After a bit of consolation from her teammates, she and the other two left the hospital for their latest mission.

Naruto didn't know how many hours ha passed until the sound of footsteps reached his ears. He raced out of the room to see Sakura, a worried look upon her face. "Sakura-chan!" he said hastily, "Well? What's going on? Did you find anything?"

She nodded slowly. "It… was the forehead protector after all. We discovered it was traced with a poison absorbed through the skin. You must be immune due to your Ninetails chakra… Hinata's not so lucky."

Naruto did his best to calm his shivering body. "What… does the poison do, exactly?" he asked, afraid of the answer.

Sakura closed her eyes for a moment. "What the poison does, from what I can guess, is it… well, using microscopic chakra-based bacteria, it actually… eats away the blood in Hinata's system." Sakura paused, resuming after Naruto's mouth fell open in shock. "But what happens is, it's actually destroying her blood cells faster than we can replenish them. In a short amount of time… she's going to die of blood loss."

Naruto felt his heart drop into his stomach. "There's something you can _do_, though, right?" he asked in hope. "Konoha has the strongest medical team in the world… There has to be something you can _do,_ right? Make an antidote, or something?"

Sakura began to tear. "The poison's design is like nothing I've ever seen… it's so intricate, so precise, so efficient, even more so than Sasori's. Every poison maker has a pattern, a sort of style they use to make their venoms. I didn't recognize this one. It wasn't listed in Konoha's books, so I consulted Tsunade sama. She identified it as…" Sakura sighed sorrowfully, "Yakushi Kabuto's."

Anger flared within Naruto. Even after being crushed, being destroyed, that bastard wouldn't let go of Hinata, and now he was going to finish what he started.

"But Kabuto is an incredibly skilled medic, and with Orochimaru's powers added onto him, he only improved, so… synthesizing an antidote in time would be impossible." The world around Naruto shattered. "I'm so sorry, Naruto," Sakura sobbed, "but Hinata… is going to die."

All the color drained from him. His eyes had grown empty, his breath, dry. All around him, like a slideshow, memories of his time with Hinata swirled about: from their time in the academy to the day before.

Her smile.

So sweet.

Faster and faster the fragments of his life moved, creating a dizzying effect. She was always so good to him, so kind, so gentle, so beautiful… God, did she look beautiful.

Her smile.

So vibrant.

Look at all those happy times, Naruto thought distantly, look at those… children, and yet so grown up, enjoying the happiness they deserved. Her lips upon his, his lips upon hers.

Her smile.

So warm.

What a time they'd had, a time that seemed to last forever. Yet Naruto had grown greedy, always demanding more and more time together. But was he wrong, doing so? Had his gluttony for happiness wrought this punishment? She was always such an amazing person, even during her darkest hour.

Her smile.

So soft.

Her flesh was the most incredible texture to him, always. It was smooth, yet pliable, and it had that most amazing aroma. Her mouth was nice. Her tongue always felt so succulent to him.

Her smile.

So safe.

So… very safe.

Safety was something almost unreal to Naruto, a precious treasure that he'd always sought. Now, he realized, _she_ was his treasure. _She_ was the gem of his life, the cover that shrouded him in security when her arms were around him.

And now, they would _never_ be around him… ever again.

"Naruto…?" Sakura murmured after Naruto had gone silent minutes earlier. "Are you…?"

Suddenly, his hands reached up, gripping close to Sakura's throat with incredible strength. Sakura winced as his nails, grown to claws, began to dig into her shirt.

"What the _hell…_" He growled, peering into her eyes. She gasped at their bloody hue. Gnashing his fangs, he roared, "_You're_ supposed to be a medic! _You're _supposed to be the healer! Well? _Fix her already, damn you!"_

"Naruto…" she muttered quietly, "You're hurting me… please, I-"

"Stop being so fucking _useless_ all the time and _make her better!"_ he raged on.

"Naruto!" Tsunade called from behind, placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned to meet her gaze: stern, yet understanding. "We're going to make Hinata as comfortable as possible. You… should be with her."

Naruto's lip quivered and he fell to the floor, bawling his eyes out, moaning, "Hinata… oh, God, Hinata…" Tsunade helped him from the ground and, as Sakura rubbed her collarbone briefly, she and Tsunade brought Naruto back to Hinata, to sit him down. As he seated himself, he uttered, "S-sorry about that, Sakura-ch-chan…"

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it." Taking a cue from Tsunade, she followed her mentor out of the room. As soon as they'd cleared the door, Sakura broke down, weeping on Tsunade's shoulder.

"I know," Tsunade whispered, stroking Sakura's hair. "I know." Thunder clapped outside the building and soon rain began pouring down on the village. _"And even the skies cry for him…"_ Tsunade thought. "_Even nature knows that this is a tragedy."_

Naruto stroked Hinata's limp hand, its feel sending a chill through Naruto that made him break out in a cold sweat. More and more, the tears fell from his eyes, the only source of warmth in his body. Just then, her hand twitched, and she groaned, weakly removing the breath mask. "Hey… Naruto-kun…" she muttered, wheezing hard.

"Sweetness…" he whispered back. "You… shouldn't be up, you should rest, you-"

"I … want to be… with my fiancé," she croaked. She coughed blood violently. "Please… let me have that gift… H… how do things… l-look for me?" she asked.

He tightened a hidden fist. "You'll be fine," he forced himself to say. "Don't worry."

"You… can't lie… to a Hyuuga, Naruto-kun…" she responded. "Your eyes tell me… they tell me…" she retched, "That things… don't look good…"

"No, no, babe, it's… it's going to be fine," he pushed himself.

She drew a painful, rattling breath. "Is it…?" she rasped.

"Yeah," he replied. "You'll see… it's- it's going to be great. We're… going to be great. Amazing. Spectacular. You're going to walk out of here, with me, of course…then… then we'll get marred – we'll have a big wedding, I promise – And we'll have lots of kids – you'll be a great mom, I know it – And then… then I'll be Hokage, the greatest Hokage ever, the greatest shinobi ever… I'll change the world, and things'll be fantastic, you'll see…. You'll see. And then… we'll love each other forever, and… we'll be happy… because that's what we deserve… to be happy, and nothing less."

She smiled, but was quickly overcome by a strong series of coughs and sputtering. After it subsided, she whispered, "Really…? That sounds… lovely."

"Doesn't it…?" he said, just as softly, stroking her hair, running his finger against her cheek. "Doesn't it…"

"Naruto-kun," she wheezed, "These years we've spent together have been the happiest in my life… even when things were… terrible… you made it incredible. Because you've given me such a gift of h-happiness, the gift of kn-knowing I _could_ be happy… I can die peacefully."

"No… don't say such a thing," he protested, even as more tears leapt from his eyes, "You're _not_ going to die, you're going to _live_, and I-"

She put a cold finger to his lips. "I… love you…" she groaned. She fell back into slumber and Naruto fastened the breathing apparatus back on her lips.

"I love you too…" he whispered. Immediately, he began weeping, more forcefully than before. "Don't die, Hinata," he told her as she slept. "You're the one thing in my life that means more to me than everything else. I need you. If you go…" he sobbed, dripping tears onto her hand, "Then part of me will go with you. So please… please, don't die."

"_This isn't fair…"_ he thought bitterly, _"I'm not one to claim the world is usually fair, but this is my limit! _I _should be the one dying, not her! I'm the one with the demon inside me, aren't I? Oh, why can't she be the one to hold the Fox's chakra, to be immune to this horrible plague…"_ His eyes shot open. "_Wait… could it be?"_ He rose from his chair, kissed Hinata on the cheek and whispered, "I'll be right back soon, baby… hold on." As he ran towards Sakura's office, his thoughts raced. "_It's a long shot, but it may just be the only way!"_

Sakura, assisting Tsunade in her reentered Chief of Medicine office, poured, depressed, over the paperwork in front of her. To her side, Tsunade wasn't doing much better. But Tsunade had decades of experience Sakura lacked in dealing with death like this… how was the young woman expected to cope?

Just then, the door to the room burst open, revealing Naruto. "Sakura-chan!" he yelled, "I've got an idea!"

"What…?" she asked, confused.

"I've got a way to save Hinata!"

Tsunade turned towards him. "How do you mean, Naruto?"

He offered his wrist. "Use my body."

Sakura's eyebrows climbed. "What are you talking about?"

"Listen, just- Listen," he said rapidly. "The Ninetails chakra is so dense and corrosive that whoever touches it gets burned badly. You know this first hand, right?" he gestured to her small scar on her shoulder. "But that's only _externally_. Internally, the Fox heals me from what would be mortal wounds! It's saved my life dozens of times, even from the external demon chakra!"

"So what are you suggesting?" asked Tsunade, now intrigued.

"You get a load of blood pouring into her, right? As it goes in, it gets corrupted, but you run _her_ blood into _me._ My body does what hers can't – eliminate the toxin. When it goes back into her, it should be loaded with my Fox chakra, and will cure her of whatever's killing her."

A silence filled the room. "Naruto… that's incredibly dangerous," said Sakura.

"I know."

"You'd lose a lot of blood too, perhaps more than your chakra can regenerate in time. You could _die._ You two don't have the same blood type, and what's to stop the Fox's chakra from identifying her body and blood as foreign and attacking?"

He jabbed a thumb at his chest. "I am," he said boldly. "I control the Fox, not the other way around. I'll make sure he does what I need. And besides…" he gave her a desperate look. "What do we have to lose?"

Another silence occurred. "Fine," said Tsunade. "Let's do it. It's our only shot, anyway." Naruto breathed a sigh of slight relief. "Report to operating room D. I'll be there with Hinata soon."

He nodded, racing off towards the operating room. "_Hold on, my love…"_ he thought, increasing speed. _"I'm coming to save you."_ He arrived shortly and donned a waiting hospital gown. Then he concentrated, zooming into his own mind, into the dark, decrepit, and now gateless hallway of his subconscious. "_Fox!"_ he called into the abyss.

Tiny red bubbles phased into existence, which slowly converged and congealed, forming the full Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. "We haven't chatted in a while, Naruto," it boomed, and then roared at him in an attempt at intimidation.

Naruto was unfazed and raised his hand, sending the Fox slamming to the floor. "Listen, and listen good. I know you overheard the conversation earlier. You'd better do what I tell you."

The Fox laughed cruelly. "Boy, do you know who I am? I caused destruction on levels no other tailed beast could even _think_ of. I laid waste to lands across the world with ease, and you think I'll help you heal one girl? You may be in control of me, but-"

"You'll do what I say," Naruto growled, "Or I'll hurt you."

The Fox laughed again. "Hurt me? Have we met? I'm invincible. My lifeforce is tied to yours. The only way you could hurt me is…" Naruto's gaze remained solid. "Oh, you wouldn't dare, Naruto," the fox said confidently.

"I would," he challenged. "And I'll make sure it's as slow and painful for you as possible."

The Fox raised an eyebrow. "… Very well then," he said, impressed. "I will do what I can to save your mate."

Naruto sighed. "Thank you," he said.

"What else can I do…?" the Fox rumbled as the hallway began to fade away. "It's not like I can get out of here."

Naruto awoke on the hospital bed. Hinata had been wheeled out and she lay next to him. Tsunade, Sakura, and Shizune surrounded him on either side, clad in surgical gear. "Are you ready?" Tsunade asked quietly.

"Absolutely," he said confidently. _"I'll see you in a bit,"_ he thought, gazing at Hinata's weak form, "_At least… I hope."_

"Alright then." She applied the anesthetic agent to Naruto and he quickly went under. "Shizune, you handle the control-levels, Sakura, you do the chakra management."

"Yes!" said both.

"And I'll… do the dirty work." Taking the scalpel in hand, she made an incision in two parts in each of Hinata's and Naruto's flesh. Taking a small, latex tube, she inserted it into one slit on Naruto and into another on Hinata. "Inserting the first chakra-imbued tube from Hyuuga Hinata's superior vena cava and to Uzumaki Naruto's aorta," she announced. She took the second tube and did the reverse. "Inserting the second chakra-imbued tube from Hyuuga Hinata's aorta and Uzumaki Naruto's superior vena cava." She paused. "You've beaten Kabuto before, Naruto," she whispered, "Now kick the shit out of him." She turned to Sakura and Shizune. "Go."

The two nodded, performing seals and concentrating as a green aura appeared around them. Red fluid began to flow in each tube. Tsunade then mustered all of her impeccable chakra control and began guiding a small strain of chakra in each of their bodies, allowing the blood to reach the right places as efficiently as possible. To do this sort of procedure demanded no flaws. Sakura and Shizune could barely maintain amazement as they managed their tasks.

Just then, the monitor on Hinata began beeping, indicating a problem. "Her lungs seized up! Shizune!"

"On it!" Shizune called, executing one-handed seals and planting her palm onto Hinata's throat. Her lungs began pumping again and the beeping ceased.

Hours and hours passed, with no rest for the trio. Tsunade couldn't tell from whether it was working or not. Both Naruto and Hinata flickered in and out of crisis mode, but managed to return to stability each time.

Inside Naruto's unconscious mind, he found himself floating in yet another white void. He was formless, just a perspective. Yet all around him, he saw himself and Hinata. Little children playing, laughing, young adults enjoying the world and all its splendor, man and woman, drinking in each other's beings… It seemed each replica was just a second in their lives, their existence together as one, infinitely repeating in front of him.

And he asked to the void, "_Is this how it ends for us?"_

And the void gave no reply.

--

Darkness.

Voices around him. Familiar.

"Oh my God…"

"We almost lost him."

"Could have been worse. I mean, with Hinata-"

"Ungh…" he groaned. His entire body felt weak.

"Look, he's coming out of it."

His eyelids slowly widened, the lights of the room flooding into them. "Bright…" he mumbled.

A blurry shape emerged before him. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Naruto."

"Huh…?" His eyes did their best to focus, catching sight of blond pigtails. "Tsu… Tsunade…?"

"His pulse is normal, Tsunade-sama," came Shizune's voice beside him.

"How're you feeling, Naruto?" came a third voice.

"Sakura-chan…" Finally, the room focused, allowing the three women to appear relatively clear to him. "I'm… fine… a little tired, but fine…"

Sakura sighed in relief. "That's good… the tiredness is normal. You did lose a lot of blood, you know."

"Huh." He rose from his prone position. "How long's it been..?" he asked sluggishly.

"A few days," Sakura explained. "You scared us… a few moments, there, we thought we'd lose you."

"Nah, I'd never-" An urgent thought struck him. "Wait. Where's-" he began panting, "Where is Hinata?" The bed next to him, he saw, was completely empty. Panic burst in his chest. "Oh no… no, no, no…"

Just then, the familiar fragrance of flowers reached his nose. Slowly, he twisted his head towards the door, almost not daring to hope. A voice came from outside the threshold: "Naruto-kun? Is that you?" Mouth slightly agape, he watched as Hinata entered, appearing to be perfectly healthy. "Good morning, my love," she said sweetly, beaming at him.

At the sight of her smile, Naruto felt all of his strength return. He leapt out of bed several feet into the air and rushed to his fiancée. "Are you… are you okay?" he whispered.

She nodded, bringing his hand to her cheek. "I'm wonderful, Naruto-kun, and it's all thanks to you."

He smiled, practically bursting with joy. Lifting his other palm to cup her face, he leaned in and crushed his lips against hers. "I love you so much, Hinata," he said when they'd parted. "I would give any amount of blood to see you smile again."

"I know you would, Naruto-kun. I love you too." They kissed again.

Naruto laughed, lifting her up by the waist and spinning around once. "This is so great… I mean, this is incredible, this is-"

"You seem to be feeling better," said Tsunade.

"You bet!" he replied heartily with a thumbs-up.

"I hate to ruin the moment here, but you kind of have a village to lead," she said with a smirk.

Naruto snapped his fingers. "Oh! Almost forgot." Immediately, a _kagebunshin_ materialized and, after summoning a set of clothes, darted off.

"Useful trick, that," Tsunade added, "Wish I could've had that during my reign."

Naruto smiled. "Well, we can't _all_ house the most powerful beast in the universe." He grinned devilishly. "We can't have the Ninetails either." Hinata giggled.

"Anyway, it's good that you can do that. You need to rest, despite your ecstatic demeanor. You've been through a lot."

"I think I know just the right sort of 'healing,'" he muttered to Hinata, who blushed lightly and chuckled again.

"Well, I don't want to keep you from whatever… 'activities' you may be planning, so get going, you two!" Tsunade said, and without another word, Naruto swept an arm under a squealing Hinata's feet before carrying her out of the room.

"Does he know that he's only in boxers and a T-shirt?" Shizune asked.

"I don't think he cares," said Tsunade. "And frankly, I wouldn't either."

"Amazing… I can't believe it," said Sakura. "Naruto's idea worked. The Ninetails chakra sure is an amazing thing, isn't it?"

Tsunade shook her head and smiled. "No, the Ninetails didn't let them live. The love they share cured her. No poison could damage that in the slightest."

Sakura smiled, her heart throbbing joyfully at what had transpired. "_I should go talk to Sasuke-kun,"_ she thought, and began strolling out the door. Shizune, thinking along similar lines, set out to find Kakashi. Tsunade, a few seconds later, smiled subtly and headed to what was once again her medical office.

--

Naruto burst into the apartment, carrying Hinata, and tossed her lightly on the bed, a ravenous look on his face. "So," she said softly, her unusual devious smile emerging. "You're Hokage now… should I call you Hokage-sama?"

He grinned and said, "Maybe only in here." He leaned in. She already knew what he was thinking and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, kissing, swapping saliva. He activated the first Gate with a blast of chakra from his tongue. As she sighed in pleasure, he reached down to undo her jacket's zipper. Suddenly, he felt her hand press on his neck as she whispered, "_Ero-jutsu: Toushou (Pervy Technique, Freeze Palm)."_ Naruto felt his body tighten up, lightly paralyzed. "Don't try to resist," she said as she slipped fluidly out from underneath him.

"Hinata, wha…?" he asked, confused.

"You gave so much blood for me… I thought I should help bring back some blood… somewhere else," she said huskily with a wink. Naruto's blood did in fact begin racing: he loved when she talked like this. "I woke up a long while before you, so I was able to prepare for this," she said, forming hand seals. "_Ero-jutsu: Bubun Baika: Oppai (Pervy Technique: Partial Expansion: Tits)."_

Naruto felt himself stir as memories of his favorite _Ero-jutsu_ surfaced. "Hinata…" he said, "You're awesome."

"Thank you, sweety," she replied. The jutsu began. She closed her eyes, moaning at the new sensitivity of her breasts. The mounds in the jacket grew more and more pronounced as the seconds passed. Naruto wondered distantly why she hadn't removed it. "Oopsie," she said in a faux-innocent voice. "Looks like I forgot to take off my jacket! I'd better do that now." Lightly, she fiddle with the zipper, moving up and down as far as she could. It only became somewhat undone, "Oh no! My huge tits have grown too big! They won't let me take off my jacket!" Naruto groaned, his erection straining his pants at her dirty talk. She smiled seductively. "Well… I guess I'll let _them_ do it for me. She moved the zipper down as far as she could and her swelling boobs began _pushing_ the jacket in such a way that the zipper naturally fell. When at last the zipper had reached the bottom, Hinata undid the final clip.

"Oh my God…" Naruto breathed, wincing as his stiff member tried to force its way through Naruto's pants. He did his best to focus on his sexy fiancé: In five years, Hinata's breasts had continued to mature naturally, making her about as large as Tsunade, give or take a few inches, with one major difference: The shape. Hinata's breasts were completely perky, jutting out gloriously from her chest. They were firm, but still pliable. Their shape was more spherical, too. She had an immaculate rack. But with her new size, plus the jutsu, Naruto could scarcely believe what he was seeing here. Now, he was shocked at what the jacket had uncovered.

Lingerie. Now very tight, visibly strained lingerie, from the look of it. "Oh, this top is so very tiiiight, Naruto-_sama_. I can't remove it, the clasp it too locked!" She put a finger to her chin, feigning contemplation. "I wonder if I can get my boobs to help… There are five seams holding this bra together, Naruto-_sama_," she said with emphasis on the honorific, patting the bra. "I hope I can get them to… _snap._"

"Uh… I… gah…" was all Naruto was able to babble. His prong throbbed at her every word.

"One…"

_Snap._

Throb.

"Two…"

_Snap._

Throb.

"Three…"

_Snap._

Throb.

"Four…"

_Snap._

Throb. "Oh God…" Naruto moaned.

"And this makes… _five."_

_Snnnap!_

_Major_ throb.

Her jugs bounded forward, bouncing up and down, slapping against her abdomen. The jiggling continued for several seconds after the bra had flown off, ejected with such force that it slammed against the wall. After most, but not all of the motion in her chest had ceased, she began kneading her breasts, moaning lightly. Naruto had almost forgotten to breathe. Her sly grin emerged. "Oh… I'm sorry, I believe I'm doing _your_ job." She began slowly, for Naruto _agonizingly_ slowly towards him. With each step she took, her breasts jiggled appropriately, sending ripples of motion through her skin, ending at the erect nipples.

The light paralysis began wearing off as Hinata removed his pants. Naruto sighed in relief as his member was able to stand tall and proud. Hinata's eyes lit up at it. Without another moment's hesitation, Naruto lunged for Hinata, his hands in but the shape of claws as they gripped and molded and pushed and squeezed every inch of her flesh he could. All the while, she moaned, reaching to the back of his head and thrusting it in the cavernous expanse of cleavage that had formed between her two pendulous behemoths. Naruto all too eagerly obliged, using all his strength to squash his face between these mountains.

An unusual, not oft occurring thought floated near his brain: "_Y'know, if I could choose my death, suffocation by gigantic fuckin' tits would be pretty damned high on the list."_ He emerged from the canyon; his chin still submerged, to peer at his beloved, his goddess, who had offered this gift to him. Her eyes. Her smile. _That_ was the best part of her, though in truth he didn't exactly mind these blimps. "Hey," he said, casual and cocky as hell.

"Hey," she said, sweetly.

"I love you."

"You'd better." The sly grin returning, she asked, "So how about some Gates?"

Naruto moved like lightning, navigating her glorious body to activate each one. At number six, she shrieked, and Naruto recalled why: the sixth Gate increases the sensitivity of all erogenous zones exponentially. This, added to the sensitivity gained by Hinata's technique, sent her spinning. Naruto pressed against her breast, sending her into an orgasm, the fuel of the gates and the jutsu feeding her fiery lust. Wielding great strength, he hefted one massive mammary and inserted the nipple into Hinata's open, screaming mouth. She graciously accepted it and began sucking her own tip, Naruto latched faithfully onto the other one. One climax after another shot through her, and every single time, she would bite down lightly on herself. Naruto followed suit.

Between moans, she brought out her languid voice and said, "Let's… ooh, get something else – ah! God! – something else done." With that, she moved south and Naruto could barely believe his eyes as Hinata's tremendous knockers completely smothered his manhood. Not even his could overcome those monsters. Grasping her own titanic breasts, which, due to the sixth Gate, had given her a sexual burst of energy, she began pumping up and down Naruto's unseen erection.

"Dear… God…" Panting, shuddering, he formed the cross seal and weakly whispered, "_Ta…a…juu_… _K-kagebunshin N-n-no Jutsu (Mass Shadow Doppelganger technique)!"_ While the clones poofed into existence, Naruto pressed down on Hinata's breasts, eliciting a scream, helping her please him. The clones wrapped their hands around Hinata's breasts, slobbering over the nipples.

Hinata's hands, trembling due to the difficulty of Hinata's concentration, briefly remover her hands, formed the cross seal and said, "M-muh-me too. _Kagebunshin No Jutsu."_

Naruto shook his head soberingly, still pressing down on Hinata's bust, his clones still teasing each nipple. "_Great, now my _ears_ are tricking me? Boy, I am going some kind of crazy, I-_"

And then, before him, he saw it. It was truly a magnificent site. A second Hinata, stark naked, bust expanded, nipples erected, and blushing appeared out of thin air. "Dear lord…" Naruto whispered. "_She really is so very good to me,"_ he thought. Hinata's replica pounced on Naruto, squeezing his face between her breasts while the original worked her breasts on his member. Naruto took a moment to cast the protection jutsu before he would go insane enough with pleasure to forget. A few of Naruto's _bunshin_ leapt upon Hinata, squeezing her breasts, teasing the nipples, slipping a finger or two inside her entrance while she slid her boobs erotically around the original Naruto's face.

This had officially reached orgy status.

"Oh, God, Hinata," came Naruto's muffled moan from within her _bunshin'_s cleavage, "I'm… I'm… oh _Gooooooddd!" _Naruto bucked his hips, and a geyser of semen shot up from underneath Hinata's own cleavage, hanging in midair for a second before splashing down onto her breasts.

"Oh!" she said, startled, as she leaned back to avoid the shot. Once it had landed, she began rubbing it into her breasts, tracing circles with it, a seductive smile upon her face the whole time. "Wow," she breathed, panting. The sensitivity of her breasts had cased a near orgasm from that experience. "Seventh Gate, please, Naruto-sama?" she asked meekly.

"Yes ma'am!" he said hastily, pressing the point on her body.

The insanity began. Naruto and his _bunshin_ swarmed Hinata and hers. They engulfed her, each taking a different position to pleasure and be pleasured. Hinata and her clone focused all their efforts on complying, using all she could muster to please Naruto: Hands, legs, mouth, cleavage, breasts; she rubbed, teased, sucked, and pumped while Naruto played with all her erogenous zones awakened by the gates and inserted fingers in and out of her entrance.

When it all had reached its peak, Naruto spanked Hinata's butt-cheek with just enough sting to make her yelp in pleasure. Another spank came to the other cheek, and another after that, just to round things off. And so, gripping her now reddened buttocks with one hand, and kneading her breast with the other, he began thrusting in and out of her vagina. Their respective _bunshin_ began doing the same. Hinata concentrated hard, working to keep thrusting with Naruto's rhythm, which was steadily increasing in speed, and still work with Naruto's _bunshin._

Finally, the moment arrived. Each _bunshin_ sensed it. They dispersed, allowing the accrued knowledge to give and extra surge to the originals as they climaxed like never before. Their names cried out for each other, rejoicing in each other's presence as the white void came. He was in pleasure, he was seeing pleasure, he _was_ pleasure in this paradise. She and he were one being and he realized that it wasn't the jutsu that united them, created this amalgam of entities. They had always been one. They just hadn't known it.

He phased back to reality, panting heavily alongside the equally exhausted Hinata. "Holy shit," he gasped. "Did we… did we level any countries with that?"

"Not sure," she breathed, "but I don't think so."

"Coulda sworn… that that was earth-shattering."

"It was," she said sweetly, reverting from her sexual deviant to her innocent sweetheart. "These walls are just very strong, is all."

He laughed. "Yeah, let's just chalk it up to that. I'm fine with that."

"I love you, Naruto-kun," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you for saving me yet again."

"I love you so much, Hinata. I'm so glad that you're alive, and I'm alive, and everything's okay. But there are some things left behind…"

"Like what?" she asked.

"Nothing, nothing… just a little something I need to check into."

Naruto's_ bunshin_ at the Hokage mansion recovered from the tremendous orgasm he'd just had by gaining other _bunshin'_s knowledge and, after wiping the sweat from his brow, returned to his work. He'd had one shinobi replicate the design on the poisonous headband on chakra-imbued paper so that Naruto could study it. The paper allowed Naruto to take shapes and shift them around, making the studying easier. As he inspected it, he began to notice a pattern. "Hmm…" he muttered to himself, "If I move this here, and this here…"

He toggled with the paper for a while before uncovering a pattern. Isolating the shapes, he discovered their roots with a shock: While there were superfluous shapes, generic for shinobi, there were two important, outstanding designs. One such integral shape was comprised of four lines straight down. Another was a single eighth note. Naruto gasped. "Sound… and Rain… United?" He could only hypothesize what happened: Kabuto, seeking revenge against Konoha, fulfilling Orochimaru's dreams, synthesized a poison out of a rain shinobi's blood, so that he would be immune to it and all who touched it, save Ninetails Jinchuuriki, would be poisoned. A silent rage boiled with in him. "Looks like I've got some work to do…" he uttered, and began writing some notes.

--

"Sasuke-kuuun!" Sakura announced brightly, entering the Uchiha main house. "I'm hooome!"

He appeared before her, smiling. "Hey, sweetness. How're you doing?"

"Great, actually. Naruto finally woke up. He and Hinata are okay."

"Wonderful," he said, grinning. "Y'know, this whole near death thing with Naruto and Hinata has made me realize something, something very important," he said abruptly.

"What's that, Sasuke-kun?" she asked sweetly.

"That you should always look around and take stock of what is precious to you… and Sakura, I've realized that I never want to be without you," he said as he retrieved a small black box from his pocket.

Sakura's eyes widened. "What…" she breathed, "What are you saying, Sasuke-kun?"

"I'm saying," he said, kneeling down, "That I want to be with you forever. Will you, Sakura? Will you marry me?"

Sakura began crying. A minute passed before she composed herself. "Seventeen years, Sasuke-kun," she whispered, sniffling, "Seventeen years I've waited to hear those words and to say this: Yes, I will be your wife, Sasuke-kun. I will be with you until the end of time."

Sasuke smiled, slipping the ring upon her finger. As he rose and kissed her, she guided him to the bedroom, from which, soon, was ejected several articles of clothing. Following that, the door slammed shut, not to open for a while later.

--

Meanwhile, at Kakashi's place, the scarecrow held Shizune tightly, stroking her hair, grown long over the years, while Tonton slept peacefully at the foot of the bed. "Kakashi…" she muttered slowly. "I'm glad I have you."

"Me too," he replied.

She sighed. "Oh, when are we going to get married?"

"Anytime you want, babe," he said without missing a beat. "I even bought a ring."

Shizune's eyes snapped open. She leaned back, focusing on Kakashi's lone open eye. "Wha… are you serious, Kakashi?"

"Absolutely," he said. Reaching to the bedside table, he opened the drawer and retrieved a small platinum ring adorned with a large black diamond, offering it to Shizune.

Hands shivering, she took the tiny band, slipping it on one of her slender fingers. "When did you buy this, Kakashi?" she breathed.

He shrugged. "Two, three years ago, I think. I figure you need to plan ahead when you plan on spending the rest of your life with someone."

Her heart swelled. "Kakashi," she whispered, leaning into kiss his uncovered face. Drawing a finger along his strong jawline, she cooed, "What were you waiting for, love?"

He smiled. "I guessed you'd want to be a part of the moment, first." She beamed at him, kissing him again.

At the foot of the bed, Tonton bueh'd contentedly.

--

Naruto lay next to his sleeping beloved, a hand running down her back. His last _bunshin_ had dispersed from the Hokage's office, making Naruto grimace with the news of the tainted forehead protector's design. "_I can't just sit there and do nothing,"_ he thought, "_If I'm to protect everyone… I need to do something. Something drastic, something huge… something that will revolutionize the shinobi world. And I think I know just the thing."_

He created a _bunshin_, who set off towards the Hokage's mansion. Once it reached there, it copied down a note several times, affixed one each to a leg of the top notch-messenger birds, and let the birds fly. Satisfied, he dispersed, leaving the original to fall asleep knowing that he only needed to wait.

--

"Wait, wait, wait, explain what's going here again?" said Sasuke, standing with Tsunade in Naruto's office the next morning.

"I've called a meeting with the other four Kage and the other various shinobi village leaders," Naruto explained.

"Why?" asked Tsunade.

"I've got something big planned. We're all to meet in person along with one lieutenant each." He raised a brow. "You'll be coming with, right?" he asked Sasuke.

"Of course," Sasuke replied easily.

"If all goes well, the shinobi world will be transformed into something no generation has ever seen before."

"Where will you be meeting?" said Tsunade.

"I found this old book in the archives… according to Senju Hashirama, your grandfather and the First Hokage, there was a secret location that only village leaders knew about, a sort of shrine where they would meet at times to discuss the grand disruptions of the world."

"Ah, yes," said Tsunade, nodding, "The Temple Outside Existence."

"Exactly," said Naruto, "A place secretive, so well-hidden that only top-notch shinobi could locate it."

Tsunade smiled. "Well, good for you. Your first few weeks in office, and you're already doing great things for the village. Your father would be proud."

"Thanks," he said, grinning with a light blush at that compliment. "Well," he said, relishing the words he was about to say, "Dismissed." Tsunade chuckled and she left the office. "It'll be in two days, Sasuke."

--

"_Something to transform the world, eh?"_ Tsunade thought, recalling a conversation she'd had with Jiraiya eons ago.

"_Tsunade-hiiiime_," _said Jiraiya, plastered out of his mind, "Imma… Imma teach a kid one day… an' he's gonna be a revuh… revo… hic! A revolutionary, that's it!"_

"_What, you mean Minato?" asked Tsunade._

"_Nononono, I mean, I mean the child of… prosephy. Porphesy. Prophesy, that's it."_

"_Prophecy?" Tsunade asked skeptically._

"_Yeaaah, this one time, the like, oldest frog in the mountain… told me so."_

"_The oldest frog in the mountain," she repeated flatly._

"_Yeah."_

"_Told you that you would teach a revolutionary."_

"_Or that he would blow up the world. One or the other." He shrugged._

_She blinked. "I think you're drunker than you know, Jiraiya," she said, and began helping him walk home._

"_Nono! I swear! You'll see, I promise!"_

"_Yeah, yeah, let's get you home."_

"_I guess he wasn't so full of shit after all,"_ she decided, pleased, and walked back to her own office.

--

"Wakey-wakey!" Naruto said more brightly than he'd planned lightly prodding Hinata's cheek.

Slowly, she blinked awake and mumbled, "Huh… Naruto-kun?"

"Good morning, hotstuff," he replied, kissing her on the cheek.

Sniffing the air around her, she asked, "Wha..." she yawned, "What is that delicious smell?"

He revealed a tray from behind him and beamed. "It's breakfast in bed, all for you! I brought your favorites: pancakes, eggs – sunny side up, of course – with toast, and I added some orange juice and sliced apples." He placed the tray beside her and made a sort of sweeping gesture. "Go on. Dig in!"

"Itadakimasu…" she said, a little surprised, and picked up an apple slice. As she munched on it, she said, "Naruto-kun, why did you - mmf –go through all this trouble? This is a delicious apple by the way."

"I know; I picked it myself. Anyway, I did all this because, well… you didn't die. And I figure I'd celebrate that by being the best fiancé I could." His smile widened.

She couldn't help but return his expression, blushing just a bit. "Why are you so wonderful?" she cooed, starting in on the rest her food.

"Because you're worth every moment," he returned.

"But what are you going to have?" she asked, chewing some pancake and egg.

"Oh, you know," he said, pulling out a bowl of ramen, "The usual." And so, the two ate, silently enjoying each other's company.

"When do you want to get married, Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata.

--

"When would you like to married, Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura.

--

"Whenever's fine," answered Naruto.

--

"Anytime's okay," replied Sasuke.

--

"Oh! I forgot! We haven't told anyone yet… we have to pick a maid of honor and best man, first," said Hinata."

--

"We should tell people; select a maid of honor and best man," said Sakura.

--

"I think I know just the guy," said Naruto, grinning.

--

"I've already got someone in mind," said Sasuke.

"Oh wow…" said Sakura, "I've got to make this the greatest wedding ever!"

--

"This wedding is going to be amazing, Naruto-kun," said Hinata excitedly.

"Yep," said Naruto, "Big things sure are happening."

--

Okay, so that's that chapter. Really pushed the envelope with the lemon here, I think. Oh well, if you hated it or whatever, just be cool, and review, please!


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